


Andromeda

by aruallz



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Brazilian!Percy, Comedy, Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, I just wanted to self-insert with my country tbh, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Jason is a sucker for Brazilian food, Latino Percy, M/M, Mutual Pining, Past Child Abuse, Pining, i try to be funny but i probably am not, its not a big part of the story it just adds to the angst briefly, these boys are in love and it makes me cry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-08
Updated: 2018-06-09
Packaged: 2019-03-02 04:02:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 33,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13310010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aruallz/pseuds/aruallz
Summary: After lying to his family about his love life, Percy needs someone to fill in as his fake boyfriend for Christmas break. Jason is prepared to spend yet another holiday alone with his cat, watching depressing movies and counting the days until he can go back to university. When Percy offers him a deal, well, it's hard to say no to the guy you've been in love with for months.orThe fake dating Jercy AU no one asked for





	1. Day One

**Author's Note:**

> if you've been reading my stuff for a while, you should know by now that I'm absolute jercy trash  
> This is just further proof  
> Anyway, I hope you like this! It's probably going to be ten chapters long, if all goes as planned and I can actually be consistent for once. I have no idea when I'll be able to update, since I am currently preparing for many, many, many exams and life is terrible

**Group Chat - This Is A Gays Only Event _(9 members)_**

 

 **YOUR president** (Annabeth Chase) - _hows thanksgiving going, kids_

 

 **Heterodon’t** (Nico di Angelo) - _terrible_

 

 **YOUR president** (Annabeth Chase) - _does it help if I say my dinner table was on fire about three minutes ago_

 

 **Heterodon’t** (Nico di Angelo) - _jfc chase what the fuck_

 

 **Mclesbean** (Piper McLean) - _being the gay cousin AND the tattooed cousin is honestly a full time job_

 

 **Heterodon’t** (Nico di Angelo) - _rt rt_

 

 **Clark Can’t** (Jason Grace) - _whats up Nico_

 

 **Heterodon’t** (Nico di Angelo) - _casual homophobia and racism escalated into an argument about the confederate flag_

 

 **YOUR president** (Annabeth Chase) - _ew_

 

 **Clark Can’t** (Jason Grace) _\- same here kinda_

 

 **Mclesbean** (Piper McLean) - _is Percy dead_

 

 **Mclesbean** (Piper McLean) - _haven’t heard from him in like three hours_

 

 **Mclesbean** (Piper McLean) - _for him that’s a record_

 

 **Not a furry** (Frank Zhang) - _hes still having dinner I think_

 

 **Clark Can’t** (Jason Grace) - _what the fuck its nearly midnight_

 

 **No One Knows I’m A Lesbian** (Reyna Arellano) - _you’ve clearly never been to a latinx family gathering_

 

 **I’m trans and ur gonna catch these hands** (Leo Valdez) - _rt rt rt_

 

 **Aquaman** (Percy Jackson) - GUYS

 

 **Aquaman** (Percy Jackson) - I FUCKED UP

 

 **YOUR president** (Annabeth Chase) - of course you did

 

 **Not a furry** (Frank Zhang) - what did you do this time

 

 **Aquaman** (Percy Jackson) - my cousins were harassing me about my nonexistent love life and well uh

 

 **Aquaman** (Percy Jackson) - i may have lied about having a bf

 

 **No One Knows I’m A Lesbian** (Reyna Arellano) - oh fucc

 

 **Aquaman** (Percy Jackson) - and now they want to meet him for Christmas

 

 **No One Knows I’m A Lesbian** (Reyna Arellano) - OH FUCC

 

 **Mclesbean** (Piper McLean) - HAHAHAHAHAH

 

 **Aquaman** (Percy Jackson) - FUCK YOU PIPER IM GONNA DIE

 

 **YOUR president** (Annabeth Chase) - omg

 

 **YOUR president** (Annabeth Chase) - but wait didn’t they ask you for a name or smth

 

 **Aquaman** (Percy Jackson) - no we were interrupted and I managed to run away but I definitely said I was dating a guy

 

 **Not a furry** (Frank Zhang) - its fine dude they’ll probably have forgotten by the time christmas comes around

 

 

A week before Christmas break, Percy’s cousins did _not_ forget about his mystery boyfriend.

“I’m screwed,” Percy declared as he ran inside the university’s cafeteria, sliding onto the bench across from Jason and Nico. “They keep commenting on my Instagram and sending me texts to know more about it. I’m going to be embarrassed into outer space.”

Piper put down her milkshake and sighed. “Dude, just find someone to be your pretend boyfriend. There’s even websites for shit like that.”

Percy made a face. “I’m only gonna find weirdos on that type of thing.”

There was a small pause. Jason took another bite from his burger.

“Seriously, guys, what do I do?” Percy turned to Annabeth. The corner of her lip quivered with amusement as she faced Nico.

“Nico, what are you doing for Christmas?”

Piper snorted. Nico ate the last fry on his plate and brushed the salt away from his fingers. “No. No way. I’m staying at Will’s, and there’s no fucking way I’d spend my break pretending to be your boyfriend.”

Percy’s desperate eyes turned to Frank. His eyes widened and he shook his head so quickly Jason worried he would cramp his neck.

“I’m going to my mom’s house in Canada.”

Jason realised he was the only guy left at the table, as Leo hadn’t joined them that day. He swallowed.

“Jason, _please_ tell me you don’t have plans for Christmas.”

Jason took a beat too long to respond, giving Percy the answer he needed. The boy rushed to his feet and kneeled next to Jason.

“ _Please_ be my pretend boyfriend.”

The whole group of friends was now staring at Jason. He frowned. “What? No.”

“ _Please_ ,” Percy repeated.

“Why would I do that?”

Percy seemed almost offended, unclasping his hands to cross his arms. “ _Um,_ because I’m the greatest friend you’ve ever had?”

“That’s Leo.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Jason sighed. “Percy, come on.”

Percy reached for his back pocket. “I’ll give you-” he paused, opening his wallet and pulling out a few bills, “fifty bucks! And a pack of beer when we get back.”

Jason didn’t take the money, but glanced at it with new interest. Percy seemed to realise it and pushed it a bit further towards him.

“You’d get free food, housing, and _two weeks in Brazil!_ Come on, Jay!” Percy gave him what their group of friends called The Face: baby seal eyes and a pout. Jason gave it some thought. He really did _not_ have plans for Christmas break- he expected to spend his holidays with his cat, ordering pizza and binge watching TV shows. Thalia was out of town until January, so meeting with her was out of the question.

He sighed, briefly glancing at Piper and Annabeth for their input. The two raised their eyebrows and shrugged in a nearly identical manner.

“Fine.”

Percy whooped and put the money down on the table. “Thank you!” He exclaimed, walking back to his previous seat.

“I’m _so_ going to regret this,” Jason muttered, putting the bills in his pocket. Percy only grinned.

“Starting Thursday, we are officially-” he raised his glass of Coke- “fake boyfriends.”

“Oh, this is going to be _great,_ ” Piper chuckled, raising her milkshake to meet the rest of her friends’ drinks at the center of the table. “Cheers!”

 

 

On Thursday morning ( _does it count as ‘morning’ if the sun isn’t even up yet_ , Percy had wondered), they were off to Brazil.

“I still can’t believe you didn’t let me pay for the plane tickets,” Jason muttered as they walked through the rows of seats. Percy shrugged in front of him.

“You’re the one giving _me_ a hand, I’m not going to make you _pay_ for that,” he reasoned. Jason still didn’t agree, but refused to argue. Percy found their seats and slid into his chair, tapping the one next to him as Jason lifted his bag into the compartment.

“Come on, Jay, we have nine hours to go, and then five more.”

 

Jason was glad the flights were so long; college was draining his energy, and he had a lot of sleep to catch up on. Percy didn’t seem to agree. Every time Jason would open his eyes and glance at his friend, he would be watching a different Disney movie on his screen. After a little over six hours, Jason woke up for good and stole one of Percy’s earphones. He was halfway through The Emperor’s New Groove, but Jason didn’t mind. He had seen the movie a good three times before. Once it ended, Percy disconnected his earphones and faced Jason with a smile.

“So how are we doing this?”

Jason blinked. “You mean the relationship?”

Percy nodded, and Jason shrugged in reply. “This was your idea, man. I don’t know.”

Percy seemed to have forgotten that. “True. Well first of all, we have to establish limits, right? I mean, we don’t have to be huge on PDA because let’s be real, it’s terrible when couples do that, but what would you be okay with?”

Jason thought about it for a minute. “Well holding hands is okay.”

Percy nodded. “Kissing?”

Jason felt his cheeks burn despite himself. “Right, uh, on the cheek is okay. Lips, I guess it depends on the situation.”

Percy nodded. The girl sitting on the row in front of them gave them a strange look, and they lowered their voices.

“If it’s to say hello, like good morning and stuff, a peck is fine?” Percy asked. Jason nodded.

“Okay, good. That’ll make it more believable.”

There was a pause.

“What about pet names?”

“If you call me ‘sweetheart’ in front of your family, I will end you.”

Percy laughed. “Noted.”

Jason gestured at the screen. “Do they have Moana?”

 

They landed in São Paulo, Guarulhos right as the movie ended. Their second flight to Natal was only a half hour after, so they rushed through the airport and got to the check-in with about five minutes to spare. The plane was a lot smaller, and Jason felt squeezed between the window and Percy’s shoulder. Luckily, the flight was a lot shorter, and he fell asleep for most of it. By the time they got off the plane in Natal, it was a little past nine in the evening. While Percy hadn’t let him pay for the airplane tickets, Jason insisted on at least paying for the cab ride to Percy’s house. He reluctantly let it pass, sitting on the passenger seat and having what Jason assumed was small talk with the driver in Portuguese. Jason was too distracted by the city to listen to music of his own, but he swayed lightly to the tune of the radio.

Natal was almost exactly like Jason had imagined it from Percy’s descriptions- skyscrapers, crowds, thin white sand and kilometers of beach. The Jacksons lived a little ways South of the city, where everything seemed quieter and more peaceful than in the heart of the state. When the cab took a turn right to reveal a long street full of multiple-story houses, Percy’s smile was so wide Jason was able to see it in the rearview mirror. The driver pulled to a stop and Percy pulled out his wallet. Jason was faster, putting a pile of bills in the man’s hand. Percy chuckled and put away his money.

“You’re too nice.”

Jason shrugged as they got out of the cab, luggage in hand. “I’m already staying at your house for free, let me do _one_ thing for you.”

The house Percy led him to was one of the tallest in the street, three floors towering behind a large metal gate. He rang the doorbell, the sound echoing inside the house. They heard excited voices, a dog barking loudly, and someone picked up the line.

“ _Filho_?” Came a woman’s voice. Percy grinned.

“ _Eu.”_

The gate opened in a buzz and Percy stepped in, gesturing for Jason to follow. They started walking up a pathway made of stones in the direction of the house. Jason saw a garage to the left, leading to what seems like an outdoor kitchen behind it. On the right, a small storage unit, a line of coconut trees, and the glimpse of a swimming pool. They didn’t make it too far before an enormous dog tackled Percy to the ground. Jason snorted.

“It likes you.”

Percy sat up and wiped the drool out of his face, the black dog’s tail slamming against the ground in joy. “Jason, meet Mrs. O’Leary.”

Jason barely had time to react to the name of the dog. A group of people emerged from the house, rushing towards Jason and Percy. Sally Jackson (Jason recognized her brown skin and kind eyes from a picture on Percy’s wall back at their dorm) came forward and hugged her son tightly. They exchanged excited words in Portuguese as the others waited behind them, and Jason didn’t really know what to do with himself. Percy pulled away from the hug and turned to Jason. The blond took a shy step forward.

“Mom, this is my boyfriend Jason,” he announced, his hand resting gently around Jason’s shoulders. Sally smiled and pulled him into a hug. Jason couldn’t think of the last time he had received such a warm, motherly embrace. He immediately felt at ease.

“It’s great to meet you,” she said, a soft accent around the edge of her words. Jason loved it.

“It’s great to meet you too.”

A small child tugged on Jason’s sleeve and he looked down. Percy’s sister grinned at him, revealing her missing front tooth in all its glory. Her black hair was halfway up with a pencil, the ends of her strands covered in what looked like yellow paint. Jason chuckled and waved.

One by one, Percy introduced him to his family members. There was his stepfather Paul, looking very much like the English professor he was in a button-down shirt and moccasins at his feet. Sally’s father Jim slapped Jason’s shoulder in a friendly manner and shook his hand so hard he thought he would get a cramp. Then there were the cousins Lara and Elias, aged sixteen and fourteen, and their parents Felipe and Miranda. Lara looked almost like a copy of her mother, with tanned skin covered in freckles, and thick brown hair down to the bottom of her spine. Her brother had a darker skin tone, but they were still very obviously siblings. They had the same crooked smile and mischievous look to them. Felipe wore glasses and was older than Sally by a few years, Percy had told him. It showed in his graying hair, but nothing more.

“Come on, let’s get you settled inside,” Paul said, reaching for Jason’s bag. He thanked him and followed the rest of the family to the living room.

“Welcome home, boys,” Percy’s stepdad smiled as he pushed open the glass doors. The living room was clearly large enough for a dozen people, with an L-shaped maroon couch against the back wall facing a TV screen, an open kitchen on the right with two dining tables, and a counter lined with silver stools. A large wooden staircase on the left corner led to the higher floors. There was a small door on the right that had been left ajar and revealed a bathroom. Between the kitchen and the TV stand was a narrow, circular atrium filled with plants, that seemed to go all the way up to the roof.

“Wow,” Jason commented. Percy was grinning.

“I knew you’d like the atrium. Nerd.”

 

The family had already had dinner before they arrived, but Sally kept a pizza for each of them. They ate around the kitchen table while talking to Percy’s parents about their trip.

“So how did you guys meet?” Paul asked, balancing little Estelle on his knees. Percy glanced at Jason. Luckily, they had rehearsed this in the plane beforehand.

“In freshman year, during orientation. We became friends a while after that though,” Jason said, which wasn’t a lie. He hadn’t considered Percy his friend before they attended a party with their mutual ones, Annabeth and Nico.

“Yeah, we were friends for about a year and a half, and then we started dating this October,” Percy smiled. Lara gave an exaggerated _awwnn_ from the living room, and Percy glared at her. Sally and Paul laughed.

“Well great, I’m glad you make each other happy,” Sally said with a smile, picking a sleepy Estelle up in her arms. “Percy, can you take your stuff upstairs? We got you and Jason settled in your bedroom.”

“On it.”

Percy insisted on carrying both of their bags, which was followed by clever comments on Lara and Elias’ behalf. Jason went ahead of him and opened the door Percy indicated once they reached the first floor. The room was painted a light shade of yellow, with a wooden floor matching the rest of the house. There was a door on the back wall leading to a private bathroom and shower. Directly on the left was Percy’s bed (large enough for two, thank the gods), under a framed picture of his graduation. A white desk was on the right side of the room, pushed against the same wall as the hallway door, and the right wall was nonexistent, replaced with a glass screen leading to a balcony. Jason stepped inside so Percy could follow him and drop the bags with a grunt.

“I could have carried that, you know,” Jason shook his head in exasperation.

“And have my family think that I’m not a gentleman to my boyfriend? Never.”

Jason chuckled and, seeing Percy taking off his shoes, stepped out of his own. Percy threw himself backwards on the mattress and sighed loudly.

“I missed this place.”

“It’s beautiful,” Jason commented, taking a look outside. The room had a direct view over the ocean.

“You can open the door, if you want,” he said. Jason slid the screen to the right and crossed over to the balcony. Percy was quick to follow him. It was longer than he expected it to be, reaching off to the sides of what Jason guessed were other bedrooms. There was a straw-colored hammock folded over a chair.

Percy leaned over the wooden balustrade next to Jason, arms crossed. He unfolded them to point to a blue light on the left side of the beach, considerably far from them. “That’s a restaurant we used to go to a lot, they make great _rabanada_. I can take you, if you want.”

Jason had no idea what _rabanada_ was, but he nodded. The slight breeze on his face smelled of salt water.

“I didn’t realize how much I missed being near the ocean.”

Percy looked at him, recognition in his eyes. “Right, you lived in California before New York.”

Jason hummed in agreement, cursing himself for bringing up his previous life. A time when his home wasn’t a college dorm, when he didn’t spend his holidays alone, when his mom was still alive, when Thalia was still with him.

“Yeah. I’ve only seen the Pacific once, and I was really little. It’s cool to be in New York because I’m still close to the same ocean.”

Jason thought about his words and blinked in surprise. He hadn’t realized the water he was seeing then was the same ocean that he saw when he travelled to the beach on the East coast with his friends. “It feels weird. Travelling for almost an entire day, and still being connected somehow.”

Percy nodded. They remained silent for a moment, until Percy took a deep breath and stood up straight again. “We should get ready for bed, it’s past midnight already.”

Jason followed him inside. They took turns using the bathroom, and before he knew it he was half asleep in Percy’s childhood bed. He chuckled at the high school pictures on the walls as Percy rolled over on the mattress next to him.

“I’m gonna have to take a better look at those tomorrow,” he joked. Percy grunted in response.

“Sure. Goodnight, boyfriend.”


	2. Day Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this took me way too long to write ahhhhhh exams season

When Jason opened his eyes, Percy had already left the bed. For a paralyzing second, he forgot where he was and sat up suddenly, until realization hit him. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes and let himself fall back against the headboard, a yawn making his eyes water. He lost track of time as he sat immobile for a moment, listening to the birds chirping outside and using a hand to protect his eyes from the sunlight. The day was clear, the ocean a dark green shade from the rain that had fallen during the night. Slowly, Jason’s bare feet found the wooden floor. He made his way to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

The dining table was already set up for breakfast when he arrived downstairs. A well-rested Sally Jackson sat at the end of it, cutting strawberries in half and filling little Estelle’s plate. Percy’s sister played with purple and orange crayons, sitting on the lap of a woman Jason didn’t recognize. Jim stood in the kitchen and seemed to be making a cup of tea, though he was so focused he looked as if his life depended on it. Elias held the fridge door open to get something, but his head stuck out as he yelled at Lara in extremely fast-paced Portuguese. His older sister’s head leaned forward unconsciously in her tired state, until her eyes shot open again and she came back up with a sharp intake of breath. Jason chuckled at the sight, and she gave him a small embarrassed smile.

“Jason!” Sally greeted with a nod. She gestured to the woman sitting on her left. “This is my sister Sofia. She arrived earlier this morning with Valeria, Lara and Elias’ older sister.”

Jason introduced himself as well as he could, mostly with gestures and mumbling the few Portuguese words he knew. Valeria had the same dark skin and eyes as her siblings, and seemed to be about nineteen or twenty. She slouched against the couch in the living room, but gave Jason a wave from afar.

“Jason!” He heard again. He turned around to see Percy walking inside the room with a steaming mug of tea in his hand, feet bare against the wood. From the small droplets on his black hair, Jason guessed a slight rain was still falling outside. Paul came in behind him and nodded at Jason with a smile.

“Hi,” he replied. Too late, he realized Percy was leaning a bit too close forward. The kiss was over in a blink— more of a peck, really— but Jason was silent for a moment, hating himself for the way his cheeks burned. Percy grinned at him affectionately, and this time he remembered to smile back.

“Want some açaí?”

Jason raised an eyebrow. “Some what?”

Elias gasped in outrage behind him. “ _You don’t know what açaí is_?”

“It’s not very popular in America,” Percy defended him. Nevertheless, Elias’ frown remained.

“It’s the food of the _gods_ ,” he whispered, more to himself than anyone else. Percy chuckled.

“He’s right, you need to try it. Here,” he raised up a bowl for Jason to take. He glanced at its contents suspiciously before taking a spoonful. Elias, Lara and Percy all kept their wide eyes on him expectantly.

“Okay, this is really good.”

All three of them cheered exaggeratedly. “Okay good,” Percy opened a cabinet and grabbed two plates, passing one to Jason. “I thought I was going to have to break up with you.”

Sally chuckled with them as she walked by the counter, resting a comforting hand on Jason’s shoulder for a brief moment. “There’s pão de queijo in the oven for the two of you, filho. Make sure to eat enough, lunch will probably have to wait until a little into the afternoon.”

Percy gave his mom a military salute. She shook her head and poked his ribs jokingly.

 

Jason discovered two things on that first morning with the Jacksons. Firstly, that he was obsessed with pão de queijo. Secondly, that Sally Jackson seemed to like him a lot.

“Are you sure you don’t want any more help?” Jason asked again as he put the watering can away in the shed. Paul shook his head.

“You can go ahead and wait for the rest of us in the living room. Sally insisted I let you off easy this time,” he teased. Jason chuckled.

“This is clear favoritism!” Percy’s voice came from the outdoor kitchen a few feet away. Paul sighed, amused.

“Just do the dishes, kid. We’re joining mom at the restaurant.”

The news seemed to encourage Percy, who gave a cheer and started scrubbing at the pans more vigorously.

By the time the family members were done with their respective chores, Jason’s stomach was already rumbling again. Percy grinned at him as he pulled the garage door open to reveal—

“Surprise.”

Jason’s mouth was agape. “You drive a _motorcycle_?”

Percy made a short sound in agreement, handing Jason a helmet and throwing a leg over the side, settling on the leather seat. “Hop on.”

Jason didn’t know how, as he still felt like his brain had just short-circuited at the sight in front of him, but he put the helmet on and joined Percy. The rest of the family was split in two cars, and Percy led the way to Sally Jackson’s restaurant.

 

Jason added a third discovery to his mental list : he _hated_ motorcycles.

As they drove by a large avenue right next to the beach, Jason couldn’t do much more than hold onto Percy’s waist and bury his face against his back, take deep breaths and hope the restaurant wasn’t too far. He knew they were right next to the shore— the smell of sea salt was strong and reassuring— but he was too afraid of looking up and being sick. He cursed Percy Jackson for driving so fast.

“You all right?” Percy shouted over the noise of traffic once they reached a smaller street and considerably slowed down. Jason nodded, even though Percy couldn’t see him.

“Yep. Doing great.”

Thankfully, the motorcycle finally came to a stop. Jason only raised his head when he felt Percy shifting and taking off his helmet, turning slightly to look at him.

“You’re crushing my ribs.”

“Sorry.”

When Jason didn’t move, Percy raised an eyebrow.

“Uh, I can’t feel my arms.”

Percy laughed and held onto Jason’s wrists, gently pushing him away before helping him remove his helmet. Their eyes met and Percy laughed again.

“Your whole face is bright red.”

“Well fuck you too.”

 

They all settled in the largest room of the restaurant, pulling several small tables against one another. Sally looked worn out, but the determined glint in her eyes remained as she sat down with the rest of the family. Percy settled next to Jason, translating quietly into his ear as Sally spoke to her siblings.

“She’s saying the food is nothing fancy, but don’t listen to her. It’s fantastic every time she cooks.”

Jason had no trouble believing him. He had never eaten feijoada in his life, but he managed to empty his plate before he knew it. Paul sat across from him and they talked about college for most of the meal, Percy interjecting once in a while.

Jason zoned out once he finished his dessert and his best friend started telling Paul about his swim team. His eyes drifted to the other end of the table every so often, glancing at Sally as she laughed with her family. Guilt biting at his chest, Jason couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy. The only times he could remember seeing his own mother laugh had been on her worst nights, when she was so drunk, so deep in her hallucinations, she couldn’t have gotten up from the floor even if she had wanted to.

Sally Jackson was the very opposite of that. Her smile felt as warm as the sun. After less than a day spent in her company, Jason could tell she would sacrifice everything in a heartbeat to protect her children from harm if she had to.

He didn’t allow himself to linger on the thought of a mother for too long.

“Jason?”

He blinked up at Percy. The noise in the room had grown fainter, and Jason realized a few members of the family were already on their feet.

“You okay?” Percy asked, a slight frown on his face. Jason quickly nodded reassuringly and gave him a small smile.

“Yeah. I’m fine, don’t worry.”

A beat.

“Are we going to the beach, then?”

Percy didn’t look convinced, but he smiled back anyway as they stood up. “Hope so. Let me ask mom.”

 

One more terrifying motorcycle ride later, they were back to the house. As it turned out, most of the family was too tired to go to the beach. Reluctantly, the kids agreed to go the next day, and the rest of the adults decided to watch TV or take naps. Jason checked his watch as he sat down on Percy’s bed and his eyes widened.

“Is it _four in the afternoon_?”

Percy laughed. “Yeah. We eat pretty late here, you should get used to it soon.”

Jason watched quietly as Percy opened the screen door to his balcony and stepped outside. His dark skin seemed to glow under the sun, a contrast to his white t-shirt and washed denim shorts.

Jason joined him.

“I have a speaker on my desk inside, if you want to listen to some music,” Percy commented, putting a hand up to protect his eyes from the sunlight. Jason nodded. “Sure.”

A moment after, they had opened the hammock between the two hooks on the walls, and were sitting next to each other. Jason had let Percy to pick the music, resulting in a soft bossa nova playing in the background of their conversation.

“Do you like it here?” Percy asked with a smile. Jason nodded.

“ _Definitely_ better than being alone in San Francisco.”

“Oh come on, you wouldn’t have been alone. Aang is a cool guy,” Percy joked. Jason chuckled.

“He’d be cooler if he didn’t try to scratch my eyeballs out every time I approached him.”

Percy shrugged. “Fair enough. I’m not much of a cat person, though we do see a few around here. Lara brought a kitten home this past winter. We named him Small Bob.”

Jason smiled and raised an eyebrow. “ _Small Bob_?”

Percy nodded solemnly. “Yup. Then he grew huge, so the name doesn’t really make sense anymore. He comes here whenever he’s hungry, but he spends most of the time outside.”

A soft breeze began to blow on their faces, and Jason closed his eyes.

“I missed the smell of the sea,” he confessed. Percy hummed briefly in agreement.

A knock echoed on Percy’s wooden door. The boys turned back to look inside the bedroom.

“Are you guys decent? Can I open up?” Elias’ voice yelled. Jason felt a blush burning up his neck. Percy replied with what Jason interpreted as Portuguese for _‘come in, little shit’._

Elias came into view, taking the few steps to the glass door and holding up the largest cat Jason had ever seen. The animal looked ready to murder Elias on the spot, but the boy didn’t seem to worry in the slightest. He grinned.

“Just thought I’d stop by to introduce you to this little guy. This is Small Bob, and he’s an asshole.”

“I love him,” Jason stated. Percy chuckled. The cat hopped down from Elias’ arms and approached Jason warily.

“Careful, he’s not exactly gentle—“

As soon as Jason held out his hand, Small Bob purred and gave him a tiny headbutt. Jason turned around to grin at a scowling Percy and Elias.

“How the fuck did you do that?” Percy muttered. Jason shrugged in a _what can you do?_ manner. Elias laughed and took a picture as Small Bob rolled over to show Jason his stomach.

“Lara is gonna be _so mad_.”

 

Jason felt perfectly happy with his day, until the preparations for dinner began and he dropped two wine glasses.

The shards exploded across the wooden floor, and Lara rushed to grab Small Bob from under the counter. Jason had turned too quickly from one cabinet to another, and his fingers slipped from under the glass. He felt a weight on his chest as Sally took quick paces to the broom closet and brought out a dustpan and a brush.

“I’m sorry— I didn’t mean to-“

“Are you hurt?” Sally interrupted, looking at him with kind, worried eyes. He blinked.

“What?”

Sally caught his trembling hand between hers. “I asked if you were hurt.”

Jason found himself completely caught off guard. He shook his head slowly, the familiar sting of tears appearing in his eyes. “No.”

Sally smiled, and for a moment, Jason saw Percy in her expression. “Then it’s all okay. As long as you’re not injured, amor.”

The guilt still felt locked in his throat, but he smiled back at her.

 

Dinner went by quickly. Percy’s aunt Sofia cooked the meal this time, claiming that Sally deserved to rest. The homemade lasagna was fantastic, and Jason was ready to go to bed as soon as the chores were done. However, little Estelle had other plans.

“I need to help mom outside, and everyone else seems to be either occupied or half asleep,” Valeria explained as she led Estelle to Jason by the hand. “Do you mind keeping her busy for a bit?”

Jason looked down at Estelle. Her dark hair had been braided in the morning before they went to the restaurant, but in ten hours she had moved around quite a bit and her strands were all over the place. He looked up at Valeria.

“Do you have a hair brush?”

Valeria smiled and handed him a blue plastic brush before going outside. Estelle beamed at Jason and said something in Portuguese. He internally cursed.

“I— I don’t understand,” Jason tried to say. Estelle frowned for a few long seconds. Jason was about to call Percy for help, when her eyes widened with an idea and she grabbed his hand. He got up from the couch and followed her up the stairs, walking by Jim on their way. The grandfather laughed heartily.

“Good luck!”

They came to a stop in front of Estelle’s bedroom. She let go of Jason’s hand to climb on her bed, knees sinking in the mattress, and point to a small white box on her shelf. Jason reached for it, and Estelle grabbed it from his hands, opening it. Dozens of colorful hair ties and pins were revealed. Estelle beamed at Jason and handed him the open box.

He spent a long time brushing through Estelle’s hair. It was ridiculously tangled and the ends of her locks were slightly split. After an hour, however, its silky texture had returned, and he managed to pass his fingers through her roots freely.

“Do you want a braid?” Jason asked. Estelle frowned and shrugged exaggeratedly, gesturing that she didn’t understand. Jason smiled fondly and split a small strand in three, chuckling at the realization in her eyes as she nodded.

“Braid?” She repeated, pointing to her hair.

“Braid,” Jason confirmed.

“Tá.”

Jason recognized the agreement, and started working. He hadn’t braided anyone’s hair in a long time— not since Thalia cut all her hair off, about ten years before— but he remembered Piper’s gestures as she worked distractedly on her girlfriend’s blond hair. He repeated them as well as he could, and ended up with something decent enough, three yellow and pink pins holding the messiest bits together. He used his cellphone to take a picture and show Estelle, and she replied with a hug.

“Obrigada.”

Jason mumbled a ‘de nada’, and she giggled at his accent. He was about to take her back downstairs when Percy walked by.

“Wow, did Jason do your hair?” He asked, grinning and gesturing from Jason to her braid. Estelle nodded so rapidly Jason worried about her neck. Percy said something in Portuguese that made Estelle run back to the living room, loudly calling for Sally.

“Told her to show mom, she’s gonna love it. Thank you.”

Jason shrugged, blushing slightly. “It’s nothing.”

 

 

At half past midnight, both of them still couldn’t sleep. Percy sighed as he heard Jason shift on the mattress next to him. He sat up suddenly, turning on the night light above his head.

“Wanna watch a movie or something?”

Jason sat up to join him against the headboard. “Yeah, sure.”

They ended up watching Netflix on Percy’s laptop until three in the morning. After three episodes of Stranger Things, Jason felt Percy’s head dropping against his shoulder. Clumsily trying not to wake him up, he gently moved him back against his pillow. Percy, however, groaned in protest and reached for Jason’s arm, still half asleep. His face returned to Jason’s collarbone.

“Stop moving around,” he mumbled. Jason gave a short chuckle and obliged, closing the laptop and slowly reaching left to put it on the bedside table. He turned the light off and muttered a goodnight in Percy’s hair.


	3. Day Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it's day three and it's gay man idk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this sucks and it's shorter and I'm sorry but exams have me BEAT

On Saturday morning, breakfast was surprisingly slow. Around nine, some of the parents hadn’t come down yet, so Jason found himself sitting at the table with Percy, two of his cousins, and Paul. Everyone was quiet, a few looking seriously sleep deprived. Elias picked at his fruit salad without any real interest.

“ _Gente_ ,” Jason heard someone call from above. Bare feet echoed on the wooden stairs, and Lara appeared, already dressed in shorts and a brightly colored tank top, her wet hair up in a towel hat. While Jason did recognize her first word as ‘guys’, the rest of her sentence didn’t make much sense to him. He was about to turn to Percy, who was sitting behind the counter, for his usual explanations, before he noticed his pretend-boyfriend’s scowling expression.

“ _Nem fodendo._ ”

Jason raised his eyebrows at the cursing. Elias snorted. “You’re lucky _tia_ Sally isn’t here to whoop your ass.”

“Language, both of you,” Paul chided without much real anger behind it. Valeria replied something to Lara, but Percy interrupted, and soon they were all yelling at each other in Portuguese. Jason sighed and glanced at Paul, who was already looking at him.

“The struggles of not being bilingual.”

Jason laughed, and Paul stood up to face his stepson and nephews. “Okay kids, one at a time, and in _English,_ for the sake of the gringos here.”

Everyone chuckled, and the tension among the cousins seemed to lessen a bit.

“Lara, what’s the issue?” Paul asked. Immediately, pandemonium returned.

“She doesn’t want us to go to the beach anymore!”

“We had everything planned!”

“I was supposed to meet José and Vini!” Elias added. Paul turned to Lara. She sighed.

“I’m _just_ saying that _tia_  Sofia and I still have Christmas shopping to do. If we wait until the last minute, the prices are gonna go up even more!”

Paul was silent for a moment, then shrugged and nodded. “Seems reasonable to me.”

Percy scowled. “You’re _my_ dad. You’re supposed to side with _me_!”

Jason would have missed it if he had blinked, but the corner of Paul’s lips briefly turned into a small, emotional smile. He walked towards Percy and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

“It’s okay, kid. We’ll still have plenty of time to go to the beach after today. Besides, Jason hasn’t seen the city yet.”

To Jason’s surprise, Percy’s eyes lit up with excitement as they turned to him. “Yeah. That’s true.”

“Great!” Lara clasped her hands together loudly and turned back to the stairs before anyone could change their minds. “Let’s all get ready then.”

 

 

Having been brought up in California, Jason was no stranger to large shopping centers. As a kid, his nanny sometimes took him and Thalia on shopping sprees with her, though the opportunities were quite rare. It became a more regular thing when he got older, in the end of middle school and all through high school. He was, however, still quite surprised by how spacious the place was. Felipe and Miranda had agreed to bring all five kids in their minivan, and the couple walked behind them as they strolled around the mall. Lara led the way, chin up high as she read over her shopping list, scribbled on crumpled paper. Percy walked next to Jason, sharing his earphones and humming to an Arctic Monkeys song.

“Can we stop by Zara?” Elias turned to ask his dad. Felipe nodded.

“Of course. Uh, we’ll meet you guys there in ten,” he added, seeing his wife stop in front of a shop’s front window. The kids chuckled.

“Do you have any shopping to do?” Percy asked Jason as they walked. Jason hummed teasingly.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Percy huffed. “Come on, you can tell me. I can keep secrets.”

Jason raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “Right. Tell that to Piper and Mrs. Brown.”

“I didn’t _know_ that was a secret in the first place!” Percy argued. He interrupted their conversation briefly to present his bag to the security guard and greet him with a _bom dia_. “That’s different!”

Jason paused, his eyes roaming over the nearest clothing rack. “Well,” he started, “if you really _must_ know…”

“Yeah?” Percy pushed. Jason grabbed a mustard yellow, ridiculously fluffy coat and held it in front of Percy’s torso. He sighed dramatically.

“I was going to give you this, but you’ve ruined the surprise now.”

Percy gasped in fake admiration. “I’ve always wanted to walk around looking like an oversized chicken! How did you know?”

Jason snorted as Percy pulled the coat off its hanger and tried it over his clothes. He put his sunglasses back on his face and pointed finger guns at Jason.

“You look absolutely dashing.”

“I know.”

They heard the shutter sound of a phone’s camera behind them. Valeria turned to show them the screen, a triumphant grin on her face. Her younger siblings chuckled next to her. Percy sighed in resignation and took the coat off, putting it back on the hanger and the rack. He pushed his sunglasses up on his head.

“Send that to me, I needed a new profile picture anyway.”

 

 

After a quick lunch break, all seven of them were still walking around the mall. They each carried at least two shopping bags, Elias having a total of eleven. He had purchased something from each and every store they had entered. Jason checked his phone as they walked, sipping on the straw of his fruit juice absentmindedly.

“How many _sucos de cajá_ did you have?” Lara asked him, eyes slightly wide. Jason slowly lowered his drink.

“… Four?”

A pause.

“Five? I don’t know. Hey, don’t shame me, this is all your fault,” he argued, taking another sip. Lara chuckled.

“I just told you to _try_ it, not to spend all your money on dozens of cups,” she replied. Jason was suddenly struck by how similar the girl was to her older sister and their mother. Valeria and Miranda shared the exact same wrinkled nose when they smiled, and the vivid hand gestures when they spoke. It was a Jackson family trait, Jason had noticed, to be remarkably beautiful.

“Whatever,” he shrugged. “They taste _really_ good, and they weren’t even that expensive." 

On Jason’s left, Percy opened his mouth to say some snarky reply, but his eyes found something ahead of them and his voice died in his throat. Instead of speaking, he gave a huge, exaggerated gasp and grabbed Jason’s wrist, dragging him to the mall’s glass balustrade and looking down at the ground floor. Jason frowned before he saw what Percy was staring at, and realization hit him.

“Oh no. Is that a—”

“A _rollerskating rink_! Jason, come on, let’s go!” He exclaimed, already pulling his pretend boyfriend to the nearest escalator. The rest of the family followed excitedly.

“Percy, wait,” Jason tried, “I can’t skate, I’ve never tried it before—”

“I’ll teach you!” Percy replied with a grin, as if it was the most simple thing in the universe. “You’ll see, it’s really fun! I promise it’s not as bad as it seems.”

 

Ten minutes later, somehow compelled by Percy Jackson’s clever words and unfairly gorgeous smiles, Jason was standing in the rink with trembling legs, holding onto the neon railing. The creator of his torture glided towards him from the entrance with perfect technique, a shit-eating grin on his face.

“You all right there?” He teased. Jason only glared at him, making the boy laugh.

“Come on Jay, lighten up a little!” He chuckled, joining him against the railing. Jason blamed the lack of space between them on the fact that his family was around, but it was still making him a bit light-headed.

“Do you want me to teach you?” Percy asked. His expression was kind and genuine, which Jason greatly appreciated. He nodded.

“Sure.”

“Okay, take my hands.”

Jason did as he was told. Percy’s skin was as warm as Jason’s cheeks felt.

“You don’t have to do anything, just lean slightly forward and keep your feet parallel to each other,” Percy explained, briefly turning to look behind him. “Ready?” He asked, facing Jason again. Jason adjusted his posture and checked his feet.

“I think so, yeah.”

Percy started skating slowly, glancing behind him every now and then to make sure they wouldn’t run into anyone. Since it was the weekend, the rink was considerably crowded, with quite a lot of noise and loud pop songs being blasted through large speakers.

Despite all the chaos, Jason followed Percy’s instructions and maintained his balance surprisingly well. Percy grinned encouragingly.

“See? Not so bad, after all.”

Valeria skated by them, giving Jason two thumbs up and a smile. Elias and Lara followed, talking in Portuguese to each other before they slowed down to match Percy and Jason’s rhythm.

“Try not to look at your feet too much,” Elias advised. “I know it’s nerve-wracking at first, but you’re doing fine. No need to worry.”

Jason nodded. Percy slowly came to a stop once they reached the end of the rink, letting go of Jason’s hands to let him hold onto the railing once again.

“Can you stand on your own?” Percy asked. Jason hesitantly lifted his hands and kept his arms wide open for balance. When he started shaking a bit too much, Percy smoothly circled him so to find himself behind him, and put one hand on each side of his hips.

The blood rushed to his face so fast that Jason was surprised he didn’t black out.

“Are you two okay there?” Lara joked. “Do you need us to leave? Maybe get you a hotel room?”

Elias laughed as Valeria gave a wolf-whistle. Percy ignored his cousins, removing his hands to place them on Jason’s shoulder as he moved to his right side.

“Try to follow us and move forward. I’m here if you need to hold on.”

 

The teaching exercises went on for about a half hour, by which Jason was able to skate around the rink on his own a couple of times. He was still a lot slower than the Jacksons, but Percy didn’t seem to mind. Despite his insistance that Percy should enjoy the rink on his own and not spend all his time babysitting him, Jason couldn’t get him to change his mind.

“This _is_ enjoyable,” Percy argued as they went. He moved effortlessly, and Jason didn’t know if he found it hot, unnerving, or both. “I hadn’t skated in a while. This is really fun.”

They were silent for a short moment, both of them staring at the rest of the family ahead of them. Miranda and Felipe had ended up joining the kids on the rink, and they were all laughing and skating together. Luckily, the fake relationship was the perfect cover to allow Percy and Jason a bit more space just for the two of them.

The previous obnoxious pop song slowly faded out, leaving the rink almost silent for a few seconds. When the next song began, Percy grinned widely.

“ _When the pulsing looks to die for…_ ” he sang softly. Jason shared his grin.

“ _Take it in your heart, now, lover,_ ” they chorused. Jason was brought back to one of their college parties almost a year prior, only about a week after Jason realized he might have had feelings for Percy. _Andromeda_ was a brand new song back then, and Percy had sung it a good five times from beginning to end. By the end of the party, Jason was half-carrying Percy back to their dorm, the two of them laughing sheepishly, and he grew pretty certain of his crush on Percy Jackson.

Jason was brought back to the reality of the rink when Percy’s hand found his.

“Come on, let’s join the others.”

 

_Back to when it was cool, ‘cause there’s no substitute,_

_Who even knows the truth, the truth, the truth…_

 

Jason didn’t lean against the railing again. Percy’s hand led him forward.


	4. Days Four and Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> beach day & sneaking out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT in my defense I've only just finished taking my exams and I've also been through a pretty long writer's block so once again SORRY YALL  
> tried to make it up with a longer chapter, hope you like this !!

Sunday was _finally_ the day they were going to the beach. Jason knew because he woke up to Percy shaking his shoulder and speaking ridiculously fast.

“Jason, Jason come on, let’s go, get up, we’re leaving in ten minutes, we gotta go—”

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Jason muttered, sitting up as well as he could and pushing Percy’s hand away. “I’m up, I’m up, I got it.”

Percy rambled a bit more before disappearing down the stairs, still yelling at Jason to hurry up and get ready. Jason sighed and pulled the sheets off of him.

After leaving him about six seconds to brush his teeth, Percy came back and dragged Jason down the stairs, where everyone was getting ready. The girls were already good to go, with their bikinis tied up behind their necks and dots of sunscreen being spread across their faces.

“ _Molecada_ ,” Sally called. Immediately, all six kids turned to face her, including Estelle. _Sally was just as wonderful as she was scary_ , Jason thought.

“ _Tó_ ,” she told Percy as she put a tube of sunscreen in his hand. “For you and Jason.”

Percy scoffed in disbelief. “Mom, I’m not white. I don’t need this.”

Sally and Jason turned to stare at him in incredibly similar fashion. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Sunburns are a myth,” Percy stated, half-sitting on the edge of the kitchen table. “I’ve never had one.”

Jason snorted. “A myth. Right. Just like skin cancer, I’m guessing.”

Grandpa Jim pointed at him, still staring at his grandson. “ _O namorado tá certo.”_

“He says you’re right, Jason. And I agree. Percy, you’re going to be sick if you keep being stupid.”

Jason tuned Percy out as he helped Miranda and Sofia pack their breakfast. When Sally sighed in exasperation for her son, Jason grabbed the sunscreen from Percy’s hands and started applying it to his arms.

“See? This one gets it!” Sally told Percy, a hand on Jason’s shoulder. “You should take example.”

Jason grinned at Percy as he glared at him. “Kiss-ass.”

“I’m not. I’m just not an idiot who thinks he’s tougher than the sun.”

Estelle looked at Jason and then back at the sunscreen in her hands. Slowly, she started imitating his gestures, spreading it unevenly across her skin. Sally chuckled.

“She likes you.”

 

“The sun is barely up!” Elias exclaimed through a yawn as they stepped out of the house. Jason checked the time on his phone. 06:05.

Sally put an arm around her nephew’s shoulders and rubbed his arm gently. “We need to get there before it gets crowded, Eli. It’s the holidays.”

Elias groaned, but didn’t argue, looking too tired to even function properly. His sisters walked a little ahead, one on each of Percy’s sides. The three of them were talking excitedly in Portuguese, turning to Felipe and laughing at whatever comment he had just made. Jason walked behind them with Elias and Jim, making casual small talk.

According to Sally, they were still about ten minutes away from the beach. Jason glanced at the back of Percy’s neck. He could still feel the imprint of Percy’s lips on his cheek from about a half hour before.

Ever since his arrival at the Jacksons’, Jason had felt divided. One part of him had felt euphoric ever since Percy had asked him to be his fake boyfriend, ever since Percy kissed him for the first time, and now— well, whenever Percy gave him any sort of attention, really. It made his heart flutter and his cheeks grow warm and he couldn’t remember ever feeling that way before. Then again, Percy wasn’t similar to anyone else he knew.

The second— and largest part—, however, felt frozen in apprehension. Every time Estelle grinned up at him with admiration, every time Sally called him an affectionate Portuguese name, every time Paul and him shared a look after Percy did something impulsive, Jason’s chest hurt with guilt. He had known what he was signing up for when he accepted Percy’s deal, but he never expected to like the Jacksons so much.

His eyes drifted to Sally’s hand, still resting on Elias’ shoulder. The whole mother figure thing was the most difficult to deal with. Being older than him by almost eight years, Thalia had always sort of taken on both the roles of sister and mom. Jason could only be eternally grateful for that, but he knew Thalia had had to grow up on her own. He looked at Sally Jackson and all he could do was imagine what it must have been like for Percy, or what it _is_ like for Estelle, growing up with such a wonderful mother. His mind went to Thalia’s cramped apartment and his heart ached.

“Jason, you okay?”

Percy’s laughter was fading into a grin as he extended his hand towards Jason. He took it gladly.

“Come on, we’re almost there.”

 

Breakfast was the usual : açaí, various types of fruit, cajá juice, salgados, pão de queijo and honey-flavored cereal. Jason had never been one to eat a lot in the morning, but Sally Jackson proved him wrong once again.

“You need to _eat_ , amor. Look at you! I can’t have you going back to college looking all scrawny!” She reasoned, handing him another sandwich wrapped in aluminium foil. Paul snorted.

“Leave him be, honey, he looks _fine_. Didn’t Percy tell us he’s on the football team? Is that right, Jason?” He asked with a smile, doing his best to dig a hole in the sand and get the beach umbrella to stand. Jason nodded, ripping the aluminium foil and earning a thumbs up from Sally.

“Yeah, uh, I joined in freshman year with my friend Reyna.”

Percy walked behind Jason, dropping a hand to his shoulder and sitting down next to him on the towel. “He’s being modest. He’s _captain_ of the football team.”

Sally and Paul shared an impressed look. “Really?” Sally’s eyes gleamed with admiration. Jason glared at Percy, who only grinned back at him.

“Yup. I’m dating a goddamn _jock_.”

Jason rolled his eyes. “Yeah, okay, _captain of the swim team_.”

Paul pointed at Jason. “Good point.”

“Speaking of which,” Percy started, “wanna swim?”

“I’m good, maybe later.”

Percy huffed and stood up again. “Lara, you coming?”

“Way ahead of you,” his cousin said, putting her sunglasses up on her head and walking down to the shore. Jason settled his head against his rolled up shirt and closed his eyes.

 

He woke up to cold water dripping steadily on the bridge of his nose. Percy’s face appeared upside down, his drenched hair falling over his eyes. Jason groaned and sat up, brushing the water away from his face. He looked around and realized most of the family was down by the sea.

“Come swim.”

“Not now, I’m comfortable here.”

Percy pouted. When Jason didn’t react, a mischievous glint appeared in his eyes.

“I’ll drag you there.”

“Percy no,” Jason warned. He raised his hand too late, Percy’s arms already wrapped around his midsection.

“Percy _yes,_ ” he countered, shaking his head so the water in his hair flew around. Jason closed his eyes and tried to turn away, but it was useless. By the time Percy stopped moving and Jason stopped yelling, he was soaked in sea water.

“You’re _freezing_!”

Percy grinned, still hugging him from behind. “Now can we go?”

Jason sulked, but accepted. Estelle waved her arms excitedly at the sight of the two boys, as she sat on an inflatable mattress on the water with Lara and Sofia. Jason grinned and walked in their direction, but froze as soon as his toes reached the water.

“Okay, this is _really_ cold.”

Percy chuckled. “It’s _fine_ , you’re being so dramatic. Come on.”

The tide was surprisingly low, allowing them to keep walking quite a bit further into the sea before reaching a deep point. Percy had picked up a seashell at some point and started fidgeting with it as they swayed in the water.

“So,” Percy broke the silence after a moment. “Do you like it here?”

Jason snorted. “I feel like you ask me that every day.”

“So do you?”

“Of course I do.”

Percy nodded. “Great. I guess it’s just that sometimes I feel guilty about bringing you here.”

Jason looked at him. He seemed to realize his tone had been strange, because he quickly corrected himself. “Not that I regret it or anything,” he rectified. “It’s the opposite, really. I’m glad you could come.”

“No, I get it,” Jason said. “I feel guilty too, sometimes.”

There was a small silence. Jason turned back to look at the shore. Most Jacksons were still in the water. Sally was laughing at something her husband had said, and Estelle sat on her shoulders, fidgeting with her mom’s hair.

“Your family is really great.”

Percy hummed shortly, smiling down at the water. “Yeah. I’m so lucky to have them.”

“I feel really bad about lying to them,” Jason confessed. “Especially your mom.”

Percy seemed to find the thought amusing. “You know that they really wouldn’t be angry if they found out, right? They genuinely like you a lot, even if you’re not— you know—”

“Your boyfriend.”

“Right.”

Another pause.

“What about real relationships, huh?” Percy started, his chuckle a bit too forced. Jason silently thanked him for trying to break the ice. “You have your eye on anyone back in college?”

Jason wanted to laugh at the irony. He thought back on how the only person he couldn’t keep off of his mind since orientation, since his first day of freshman year, was standing right next to him in the water.

“Nah, not really.”

Percy opened his mouth to say something in response, but something caught Jason’s eye. Sally was waving her arms at them.

“I think your mom wants us to go back.”

Percy nodded, and they swam to the shore.

“Are we having lunch here?” Percy asked his _tia_ as they walked back up to the towels. Miranda nodded.

“Your parents went over to Gilberto’s to get us food. Dry yourselves, boys, you don’t want to get water all over our stuff.”

Jason apologized and reached for his own towel, but Percy beat him to it. He opened it across Jason’s shoulders for him and wiped it across his back.

“There you go.”

“Uh, thanks,” Jason mumbled, looking down and pretending to search for his shirt. If Percy noticed his red cheeks, Jason would probably die on the spot.

 

“Are you looking for seashells?”

Estelle looked up at him in confusion.

“Oh, right,” Jason muttered to himself. Percy was only a few feet away, sipping on a caldo de cana with tia Sofia, but he wanted to try and communicate with Estelle on his own. He quickly looked around in the sand and picked up a small white shell, showing it to Percy’s sister. She gasped and nodded vigorously, reaching for Jason’s hand. He dropped the shell in her palm and followed her on her quest along the shore.

Percy joined them as the sun started setting behind the horizon.

“What are you guys doing?”

Estelle rambled excitedly in Portuguese. Jason hummed. “Exactly.”

Percy tossed a small blue conch in Jason’s general direction. “Color of your eyes.”

“What?”

Percy blinked, as if surprised by his own words. “What?”

“You said it’s the color of his eyes.”

They both jumped at Valeria’s voice. She had an open bag of chips in her hands, and turned it to Jason. “Want some?”

Estelle pulled on Percy’s wrist, and he continued to help her in her hunt for seashells. Jason was grateful for the interruption. After a short talk with Valeria, he returned to his previous task. Being nearsighted, he ended up crouching down to pat the sand more than once, but the three of them ended up with a decent amount of pink and white seashells to take home.

Before leaving the beach, Jason went for a quick last dive in the ocean. After briefly checking that no one was looking, he pulled Percy’s blue seashell out of the pocket of his shorts and cleaned the sand out of its dents, allowing himself a small, bashful smile.

 

 

Sleep left him around half past nine the next morning, and he sat on the edge of Percy’s mattress, rubbing his eyes. His fake boyfriend’s knee knocked against his hip as he rolled over, still breathing softly. Jason turned to the side and looked at him. Percy was sleeping on his stomach, as usual. His right leg which was touching Jason was bent across the other side of the bed. His hair was a dark fluffy mess, fanned out across his pillow and his face. The bridge of his nose had started peeling from the sunburn he had acquired the day before. Jason chuckled to himself. His glance then dropped to Percy’s lips, soft-looking and slightly parted.

 _You don’t need to think they look soft,_ his mind helpfully said. _You know they are._

Jason shook his head and went for a cold shower.

 

Percy was sitting up in his bed when Jason stepped out of the bathroom. He grinned that world-consuming Jackson grin, and Jason could have sworn he felt his knees wobble.

“Good morning.”

Jason smiled. “Morning.”

Percy yawned, immediately followed by a wince. Jason raised an eyebrow.

“Okay there, Jackson?”

Percy glared. “Sunburn.”

“Yeah. I noticed.”

“It’s not supposed to be possible.”

“And yet here we are.”

 

The ground floor was mostly quiet. Lara and her dad stood by the kitchen counter, each of them with a cup of coffee in hand. Grandpa Jim looked like a character from a 1960s movie, sitting at the table with a newspaper hiding his face.

“Hey guys, I was just about to go back up. There’s still water in the kettle for tea, and more coffee over there for you, Jason,” Felipe said with a smile. They thanked him as he went up the stairs two steps at a time.

“Sleep well?” Jason asked Lara, sitting down. She nodded.

“Yeah, I was exhausted. You?”

Jason hummed. There was a silence. He listened to the sound of the water Percy was pouring in his mug.

Jim said something in Portuguese, and his grandchildren nodded. He left through the glass doors leading to the garden, newspaper rolled up in his hand.

Lara immediately leaned forward, a serious look taking over her face. “I need your help.”

Jason blinked and turned to Percy, then back at Lara. “What?”

“Why?” Percy added, sitting next to Jason and taking a sip of his tea.

“There’s a club these rich kids from the local private school are going to, and for some reason I was invited. I don’t have a fake ID yet, so I need help sneaking in.”

Percy put a hand to his chest and sighed with a little fond smile.

“I’m so proud of you.”

Jason elbowed him in the ribs.

“So?” Lara pushed, one eyebrow raised. “Are you guys in?”

Jason looked at Percy. “You’re gonna make me do this, aren’t you?”

“Listen babe, I have to support this youngling’s wish to rebel.”

“It’s _Monday_.”

“Have you never been sixteen?” Percy reasoned. Jason turned back to Lara and sighed.

“Okay, sure. At least we can make sure you won’t do anything too stupid.”

“ _Great_ ,” she declared, putting her mug down inside the sink. “We leave at midnight, meet me in the garden. Don’t be late or I’ll have to go up to your room, and trust me, that’s the last thing I want.”

Percy rolled his eyes as she walked away. “Why does everyone think we fuck so much?”

Jason couldn’t help but snort.

 

 

“Would you stop fidgeting?” Percy hissed, closing his bedroom door and joining Jason outside.

“This damn button won’t close!” Jason leaned against the wall in defeat. Percy did his best to look annoyed in silence, and grabbed Jason’s wrists.

“Let me see that.”

Jason glanced at Percy’s fingers as they worked his sleeve back, rolling it up once before closing the button.

“There.”

“Uh, thanks.”

“Come on, Lara’s probably outside.”

They made their dangerous way down the stairs, Percy ahead. He advised Jason to step on the same spots he did, in order to avoid the creaking and squeaking of the wood. When Jason asked if he knew this because he was used to sneaking off at night, he only got wiggling eyebrows and a shrug.

“I told you to be on time, for fuck’s sake,” Lara greeted them, eyelids painted pink and wearing a silky white dress down to her ankles. Percy raised his eyebrows at her appearance.

“Are you going to a club, or to the Grammys?”

Lara huffed. “The Grammys don’t deserve me. The Golden Globes, maybe.”

Percy snorted and tossed Jason his helmet. “Okay, let’s go.”

Jason groaned. “Do we have to? Also, what about Lara?”

“I have my bike, I’m fine. Now come on.”

 

“Woah,” Lara grinned as they stepped inside. The beat was obnoxiously loud, vibrating into the floor and inside Jason’s chest. Percy shook his head in amusement at his cousin’s reaction.

“If you think this is cool, you should see college parties.”

Two girls spotted Lara from across the room and started calling for her, waving their arms widely. She turned back to Jason and Percy.

“Thanks for getting me in, see ya!”

“Woah woah woah, wait,” Percy went after her, reaching for her elbow. “Do you have your phone?”

Lara looked at him as if he had gone completely mad. “Of _course_ I have my phone.”

“Call me if anything happens, as soon as you need to go home—”

“Percy,” she interrupted. “I’ll be _fine_.”

He reluctantly let her go, watching as she joined her friends. Jason put a hand on his shoulder.

“She’s okay, no need to worry.”

Percy grinned and put an arm around Jason’s shoulders, turning them around. “Come on, drinks on me.”

“You’re driving.”

“Exactly. They’re for you.”

 

Jason hadn’t gone to a club in a long time. His experiences with parties were usually limited to whatever was happening on campus, or whatever his friends dragged him to. The place had good drinks though, and the music was foreign, but not bad. Percy danced next to him and all Jason could think was _how are his eyes so green_ , so he was pretty sure his three caipirinhas were getting to his head.

“Do you see Lara?” Percy asked over the music. Jason turned to look around him and was greeted by someone’s drink spilling all over his chest. The girl started to apologize in Portuguese, so Percy took over. Jason headed to the bathroom, already pulling his ruined shirt off of his body. He let the water run in the sink and soaked the stain, before passing a wet hand through his hair and sighing. The bathroom door pushed open again.

“Hey, you all right?” Percy asked. His eyes remained on Jason’s figure for a brief moment before tearing themselves away. Jason was too tipsy to register it properly.

“Yeah, fine. Just need to get this off.”

Percy hummed in agreement, sounding a bit strangled. He ended up turning his back to Jason after a while.

“Okay,” Jason cut the water. “I think it’s all good—”

“Guys!”

The door to the men’s room burst open, revealing a clearly nervous and not-completely-sober Lara Jackson. Percy immediately went into protective brother mode.

“What happened?”

She fidgeted with one of her silver rings. “Can we go home?”

“Of course,” Percy said, already halfway out the door. Jason put his shirt back on and they headed towards the exit.

Only a few feet before they reached the door, they heard loud voices and catcalling. A group of about six guys were jeering and gesturing towards Lara. Jason didn’t need to be bilingual to understand what they were surely saying.

His hand immediately went to Percy’s forearm. He knew his friend, and he knew he sure as hell would not mind giving them a piece of his mind (read : his fists). As if knowing what he would say, Percy turned to Jason.

“I’m fine, not punching anyone, let me go.”

Jason didn’t. They continued to make their way through the crowd until one of the guys came to a stop right in front of Lara. Jason wished he understood whatever remark Percy’s cousin had shot back, because most of the teens around them started yelling and cheering excitedly. The guy took a step closer. Jason barely had time to tighten his fingers around Percy’s arm before Lara threw a punch at the guy’s jaw.

The room erupted into chaos. The guy seemed too surprised to react, his hand holding his face in pain. Percy pulled on Jason’s hand, and they finally managed to reach the exit. They ran to their parking spots, Lara holding her heels in her hands.

“Go, go, go,” Percy said, starting the engine as Jason sat behind him. Lara had already taken off on her bike, and Jason and Percy were quick to follow.

 

They left both the motorcycle and the bike behind the storage unit once they arrived, too scared of waking the family up by opening the garage door.

“Are you okay?” Percy finally asked as they walked to the house. Lara nodded, looking more like herself.

“I wasn’t feeling too safe inside that place, but now I’m fine. Punching him made me feel a lot better.”

Percy hugged her. “You scared me, kid.”

Lara chuckled. “You know you’re only four years older than me, right?”

Percy tsked. “You’re still a kid.”

“I’m gonna throw up,” Jason declared. Percy laughed as Lara groaned in disgust and led him to the ground floor’s bathroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im a slut for thoughtful comments just sayin


	5. Day Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> new family members, great food, and Jason is a Hot Mess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whats UP MY DUDES I've been gone for almost three weeks apologies apologies  
> hope you like this !!

“Jason.”

He stirred and pulled his arm away from whoever was next to him. He felt pins and needles in his leg, and groaned, opening his eyes slowly. Percy was still half asleep, but he was definitely the one who had called his name, as they were the only ones in the bedroom. Jason frowned down at him. The boy was sprawled across the bed, both of his legs over Jason’s right one. It made it pretty clear where the tingling sensation was coming from.

“You’re snoring,” Percy stated. Jason felt a blush creeping up his neck.

“What? No. I don’t _snore_.”

“You do.”

“I don’t.”

“Then who was it, snoring into to my ear like a monster truck, huh?”

“Shut up and let me sleep,” Jason closed his eyes again. A whole three seconds passed before Percy rolled over to the other side of the mattress, pulling most of the blankets with him. Jason sat up against the headboard and turned on his nightlight. Percy groaned.

“Percy.”

“Hmm?”

“The covers.”

Percy opened his eyes to glare at him. Jason stared back in defiance, raising an eyebrow.

“You can pull them out of my cold, dead, bisexual hands,” Percy declared. “On that note, I’m going back to sleep.”

He turned over. Jason sighed. “All right then.”

He caught Percy’s wrist and pulled the blankets out of his palm, quickly rolling over and tucking them under his chest. Percy gasped as he found himself unprotected.

“You didn’t dare.”

“Oh, but I _did_.”

Jason didn’t intend for the whole thing to become a spontaneous pillow fight, but hey, things happened. Percy only gave up after Jason had to practically sit on his sternum and hold him down, both of them laughing.

“ _Fine_ , you can have the damn blanket,” he said grumpily, though the lightness in his eyes betrayed him. “Guess I’ll just stay cold and alone and _unloved_.”

Jason snorted. “We can share the blankets, drama queen. Just don’t be such a bed hog.”

There was a pause as they settled next to each other.

“Are you hungover?” Percy asked. Jason had completely forgotten about the caipirinha catastrophe the night before.

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Good.”

Jason drifted off to sleep, still hearing the ruffling sound of Percy’s legs moving around on the mattress.

 

 

The second time Jason and Percy woke up that morning, it was to short claps and loud voices. Someone flung the bedroom door open.

“Boys, come on, we need help around the house, the rest of the family is arriving today,” Sally’s accent came from the hallway. Percy groaned in complaint, but immediately pulled the covers off of them. Jason rushed to get ready.

“What do we need to do?” He asked Miranda as they finished their short breakfast. Her hair was tied back in a scarf as she swept the kitchen floor, looking up at them briefly before returning to her task.

“If you could clear up the table, that would be great. Percy, there’s some dishes to be washed in the outdoor kitchen as well.”

Both of them got to work. Lara made a joke about Jason having to be careful with the glasses he was carrying, and he responded by sticking out his tongue at her. He was almost done preparing the table for lunch when Elias came downstairs.

“Have fun with Percy last night?”

Jason almost dropped the cutlery. “ _What?_ ”

“I heard you guys laughing around four or five in the morning. What was that about?” He asked, a cheeky grin on his face.

The relief washed over Jason so fast that he felt almost dizzy with it. “Oh, nothing. He started a fight over the blankets.”

“A fight, huh?” Valeria smirked, brushing the dust off of the TV stand with a rag. “Sure.”

Jason’s eyes widened as he realized what she was insinuating. “It’s true! He kept stealing all the blankets, so I hit him with my pillow.”

“Is that a euphemism?” Lara asked. Elias snorted.

“Hey, kids? How about you stop harassing your cousin’s boyfriend about their relationship?” Miranda leaned against the broom she was holding, and gave her children a dry smile. All three of them immediately turned back to their respective chores with a chorus of ‘ _desculpa mãe_ ’ and ‘sorry Jason’.

The silence remained as they worked. Percy walked back inside the living room and frowned.

“Why is everyone so quiet?”

“No reason,” Jason quickly said. Lara and Valeria shared an amused glance.

Their next job was given by Sally, and consisted of vacuuming and reorganizing Percy’s bedroom.

“ _Mãe_ , why do we need to clean up my _bedroom_? Everyone is staying downstairs anyway, no one is going to see it!” Percy had tried to argue. Sally tutted.

“After living in my house for eighteen years, I’d think you already know that argument doesn’t work with me. Besides, _Jason_ is seeing it. Do you want him to think you’re a slob?”

“Jason is dating me _and_ he’s my roommate. He _knows_ I’m a slob.”

Sally shook her head. “You’re a lost cause, _filho_.”

“Does that mean I don’t need to clean my room?”

“No.”

Jason snorted. Percy sighed and grabbed the vacuum cleaner from the floor.

 

“So who’s arriving today?” Jason asked once they were finally done with their chores, sitting in the sun on Percy’s balcony.

“Paul’s sister and her wife. Also, tia Sofia’s husband and kids.”

“So you’re not the only queer Jackson?” Jason joked. Percy chuckled.

“Indeed, I am not. Lara has had a few girlfriends before, too. Honestly, I have some thoughts on Elias as well, but he has never said anything, so I’m not gonna comment on that.”

There was a short pause. “How many kids does your aunt have?”

“Tia Sofia?”

“Mhmm.”

“Two. André and Julia, they’re twins. Just turned eighteen, I think.”

“Wait, aren’t those the ones that—”

“That made me bring you here? Yep, those are the ones,” Percy nodded. “They’re assholes sometimes, but it’s fine, I don’t see them often. It’s easier to deal with.”

They remained silent for a while, enjoying the sun. Percy had closed his eyes, and Jason glanced over at him. He had a small smile on his face. He opened his left eye.

“Do I look good?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. Jason stammered.

“Sorry, I- uh-”

Percy started laughing. “I’m joking, Jay, don’t worry.”

A loud car honk echoed from the street below, making Mrs. O’Leary bark in excitement. Percy stood up, giving Jason a hand before leaning over the balustrade.

“It’s Alice and Farrah!” He grinned.

“Paul’s sister?”

Percy nodded, already turning back to his bedroom, his fingers around Jason’s wrist. “Come on!”

 

Alice and Paul looked nothing alike. Her hair was a golden blonde and her eyes a deep blue. She was younger than her brother, probably in her mid-thirties. She grinned as she stepped out of the car and gave Paul a one-arm hug, her other hand clasping her suitcase’s handle.

“I missed you,” she said, her voice soft and emotional.

“I missed you too.”

Behind her, Farrah was holding another bag. She smiled and readjusted her hijab over her ear. Percy rushed to hug them both and reached for Farrah's luggage, introducing Jason along the way.

“It’s lovely to meet you Jason,” Alice smiled. Despite himself, Jason felt a bit relieved that he was going to have more American company. Portuguese was a beautiful language and he never got tired of hearing it— especially from Percy— but he was starting to get embarrassed of how little he knew. When it came to introducing himself, he usually let one of the Jacksons do the talking while he nodded and said ‘olá’ at best. This time, though, he hugged Alice and Farrah, comfortably keeping a casual conversation as they made their way to the house together.

“We got you guys settled in the usual guest room, I hope that’s okay,” Sally said. Farrah laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

“It’s perfect. Thank you, Sally.”

Jason waited at the end of the staircase as Percy continued walking to the room with them and helping out with the luggage. When he stepped back out, he was grinning, cheeks a slight red from the effort. Jason looked away.

“Lunch?” Percy asked. Jason nodded.

“I’m starving.”

“Unacceptable,” Sally declared, putting an arm around his shoulders. He was at least six inches taller than her, but even the _thought_ of contradicting Sally Jackson made him wish for the ground to swallow him up. Percy laughed.

“Jason, we’re Latinos. We can’t have a hungry guest,” he explained. Sally agreed.

“Which is why you, kid, are making him his first churrasco,” Sally pointed at her son. Percy fist-pumped in victory.

“Churrasco?” Jason repeated, frowning. His _r_ still didn’t sound right.

“Barbecue, except it’s not, because it’s a million times better,” Percy said, already pulling Jason by the wrist and leading him outside. “Come on.”

 

About an hour and two Brahma beers later, Jason was certain he had drunkenly changed his name to _gringo_ the night before. As the whole family sat outside, either by the pool or in the water, it was all anyone seemed to call him.

“What does it even mean?” he worked up the courage to ask Percy after a while, as his fake boyfriend kept an eye on the grill. Percy laughed and turned over the picanha.

“Are you serious? I use that word all the time.”

He had taken his shirt off at some point, probably because of the heat of the barbecue adding up to the summer sun. It was _not_ doing good things to Jason’s sanity. He swallowed.

“No, I mean, I know the general _meaning_ of it, I guess,” he tried, looking away when Percy gave him an amused glance and a raised eyebrow.

“Then what did you mean?”

“Is it just— does it just mean white?”

“Stranger,” Percy corrected, poking at the coal with one of the metallic rods. “Just means non-Latino, if you will.”

Jason was silent for a bit.

“It doesn’t mean anything bad, though,” Percy quickly added. “If it makes you uncomfortable, we can stop—”

“No, no don’t worry! It’s fine,” Jason smiled, and Percy seemed reassured. “I find it cute.”

Percy didn’t say anything, but the curve of his lips remained. Jason felt a flicker of hope in his chest, and quickly smacked it back down with an imaginary stick. _Nope. Enough feelings for today. When it comes to Percy, enough feelings for a lifetime._

“Can you take this to my mom? She has the seasoning.”

Percy’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts. He nodded. “Of course.”

Percy leaned forward and kissed the top of his cheek. Easily. Naturally. As if they did that all the time.

Did they do that all the time?

Jason couldn’t remember a thing.

“Thanks babe,” he added, because the kiss wasn’t enough, apparently. Jason made his way to Sally in a bit of a haze.

“Uh, here. For seasoning,” he managed. Sally nodded, the knowing smile of a mother unmistakable on her lips.

Jason was _fucked_.

 

Another car honk made the family head to the gate, right as the sky started to become dark enough to see the stars. Sofia’s husband and their kids didn’t look suspicious to Jason, but Lara and Elias shared a knowing and displeased look as they hopped out of their cab. Jason had just thought that maybe it would be better for Percy to be around for introductions when a warm hand slipped into his own. Jason’s cheeks burned. _Keep it together_.

“Do they speak English?” he asked Percy. The boy nodded.

“They’re at a preppy international school, so yeah. But if I were you, I’d pretend to only speak German or something.”

Jason snorted. Right as they shared a grin, they were approached by Percy’s cousins.

“Hey guys, this is Jason,” Percy said in English. Jason gave them his best amicable grin.

“Hey, nice to meet you.”

André and Julia looked incredibly similar, but made obvious efforts to assert themselves as their own individuals. Julia had a nose ring, thick-framed glasses, and shoulder-length, curly hair that had been dyed a dark green. André seemed to keep it simple. His black hair was shorter on the sides, and he was dressed in a plain white shirt and jean shorts. They greeted Percy casually enough, before glancing at Jason. André said something in Portuguese.

“Yes,” Percy answered, clearly insisting on the English. “ _Boyfriend_ Jason. He’s staying over break.”

This time, the twins addressed him directly, continuing with polite introductions and awkward small talk. Once they went on to meet their mom, Jason shook tio Tomas’ hand. Percy gave him a pointed look as the family went back inside, out of earshot.

“Told you they were asses. Sorry about that.”

Jason shrugged. Their fingers were still laced together, and now that he had noticed it, he could swear his pulse was beating at the center of his palm, against Percy’s. He prayed he wouldn’t pull away.

“They weren’t that bad. It’s fine.”

Lara huffed. “You haven’t seen anything yet. They seem nice. Friendly, even. Next thing you know, they’ve stolen your whole HotWheels collection and hidden it under the stairs for the cat to piss on.”

Jason stared at her. “That’s… weirdly specific.”

“A totally made-up scenario,” she stated. Elias snorted next to her, leaning against the metal gate. The white letters on his blue cap reflected in the night. He was wearing it backwards, like some kind of teenage rebel from the 90s. The thought amused Jason.

“I could really go for some burgers right now,” he said, eyes lost in a void. Lara snickered.

“Why do you sound so _miserable_ , we literally ate until four in the afternoon.”

“I do not see your point.”

Percy hadn’t spoken in a while. Jason turned to him. He was looking down at the grass when his head shot up and he grinned.

“Wanna go to Burdog?”

Elias and Lara both gasped in excitement. Jason frowned. “What’s that?”

“Best burger place around here,” Percy said. “I haven’t been in _ages_.”

“Do you think they’ll let us?” Elias asked. Percy shrugged.

“I count as an adult, don’t I? And so does Jason. We can make our own decisions.”

There was a pause. At the same time, all four of them burst into laughter.

“That was a good one,” Lara said. “Come on, let’s ask tia Sally before she whoops our asses.”

 

An hour and a half later, they were sitting in a booth inside a 70s-style restaurant, four different milkshakes on the table. Jason had to admit that it was nice to go out just the four of them for once. He had grown very fond of Lara and Elias over the previous few days.

Lara sighed once they ordered their burgers, sinking deeper into the white and blue seat. “I can’t believe I’ll have to deal with André and Ju for _ten more days_.”

Percy chuckled. “Honestly, when they start to get annoying, just nod along and take some time away from them, you know? They’re actually pretty fun when they’re not being— well, so _much_.”

“They’re _always_ so much! I mean, didn’t they basically force you to bring Jason here? Because they didn’t believe you were dating him or whatever?” Lara continued, gesturing along to her words. Percy and Jason shared a look. Percy raised his eyebrow in a silent question. Jason was pretty sure he knew what it was.

“What’s with the staring and the eyebrows?” Elias asked. Lara’s eyes drifted from Percy to Jason.

“If you two start making out, I’m leaving.”

Jason finally sighed and shrugged, nodding in agreement. Percy licked his lips and turned back to his cousins, taking a deep breath.

“Jason and I are not actually dating.”

Lara and Elias froze in the same position, and blinked at the exact same time. Jason was about two seconds away from calling an exorcist.

“You— wait,” Elias started. “What do you mean, you’re not _actually dating?_ ”

Lara remained strangely silent. Jason met Percy’s pleading eyes, and decided it was a good time to take over.

“Percy asked me to pretend to be his boyfriend so that André and Julia would lay off. That’s the whole reason I’m even here, actually.”

A pause.

“Please don’t tell anyone. I feel terrible about lying to you guys, I’m sorry—”

“But you’ve _kissed_ ,” Elias argued, perplexed. Jason was glad Percy’s face was as red as his.

“Yeah, well, the family wouldn’t buy it if we just acted as regular friends,” Percy said. Lara shook her head.

“I don’t believe this.”

Another pause. Percy blinked. “What don’t you believe?”

“That you guys aren’t dating,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “You’re fucking with us.”

“No! I mean, yeah, we _are_ fucking with you, but because we’re _pretending_ to date,” Percy said. “The whole point is that it’s fake.”

“It’s fake,” Lara repeated.

“Yes,” Jason and Percy chorused.

“You’re _pretending_ to date.”

“Yes!”

Another silence. Lara’s eyes met Jason’s, and something made him blush even harder. _Did she know?_

“But you idiots _obviously like each other_.”

Percy choked on his mango milkshake. Jason turned his head the other way, feeling like he was either going to pass out or snap and kiss Percy right then and there.

He was saved from his dilemma by the arrival of a tall, tattooed waitress, four burgers on her large plate. At least for now, he could eat to forget about all of his emotional issues and maybe-not-so-fake relationships.

For now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments give hope to my firstborn child


	6. Day Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas Eve & the Gay intensifies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO FRIENDS  
> im so so SO happy about this chapter you don't even understand omg  
> two Emo Talks in one chapter wow im really upping my game aren't i  
> hope you guys like it as much as i enjoyed writing it!!!!! please let me know what you think and how i could make the story better, its always so good to see constructive criticism!

“Is that for me?”

“No.”

“…What about that one?”

“No.”

“…That one over there?”

“Still no. And you’re starting to sound like the donkey from Shrek.”

Percy pouted from his makeshift seat on the floor next to the Christmas tree. The two pillows from the armchair were piled under him, making him seem almost taller than Jason.

The blond smiled to himself, seeing Percy sit up with effort. _Almost._

“You’re evil, you know that?” Percy finally whined, letting his head down on Jason’s shoulder. Jason’s knees hurt from being scraped against the floor, but he’d be damned if he made Percy move away. He taped the last card to the top of Sofia’s present, and tied the ribbon more loosely.

“You’ll get your presents after dinner tonight, just like everyone else.”

“Yeah, but fake-dating you was supposed to give me privileges.”

Jason snorted. “Your reasons to have me here are really hurtful, you know?”

Percy’s face fell, and Jason regretted his words immediately. The boy shifted and leaned against the couch behind them. “I’m sorry, I was joking.”

“You don’t need to apologize,” Jason hurriedly said. “I was joking too.”

Percy’s posture became slightly less tense, and he gave him a tiny nod. Jason took a moment to appreciate the quiet of the early morning. There were birds chirping outside, and the few rays of sunlight flowing through the windows already announced the heat of the day.

“I’ve never celebrated Christmas in the summer,” he commented. Percy smiled, eyes closed.

“It’s fun. We usually go to the beach before dinner.”

They were interrupted by the sound of a door closing on the first floor, and feet stepping down the wooden stairs. Farrah appeared, smiling softly at them.

“Good morning, boys.”

Jason imagined what they must have looked like, sitting so close to each other in a corner of the living room, thighs and arms pressed together. He brushed the thought away.

“Good morning,” he replied, echoed by Percy. “Did you sleep well?”

“Very,” she assured. “The mattresses here are _so_ much better than at home.” She turned to the kitchen counter and started filling the kettle with water. “Do you want tea?”

“Sure! Wait, let me help you,” Jason said, standing up and stretching his legs briefly. Percy glanced up at him, following his movement with his eyes. Before he could think himself out of it, Jason leaned down and kissed him.

Easily.

Naturally.

As if they did that all the time.

He’d be lying if he said Percy’s red cheeks weren’t satisfying to see.

 

 

One long breakfast later, all seven kids were sprawled across the couch and various armchairs, struggling to choose a movie to watch. Mostly, because Percy seemed to be bored by every single proposition they made.

“Okay, what about superheroes? Something from the MCU? Have you watched Spiderman?”

Percy stopped typing on his laptop to look at André. “Homecoming?”

André nodded.

“Of course I’ve seen Homecoming, who do you think I am?”

Elias picked up the remote, finger grazing the _back_ button. “So I’m guessing you don’t want to watch it aga—”

“ _Of_ _course I want to watch it again!_ ” Percy all but yelled, closing his laptop and putting it down on the coffee table. Jason chuckled.

“I haven’t seen it yet, is it that good?”

Percy turned to him, eyes wide. “It’s brilliant. Elias, play it, let’s go.”

“Do we have popcorn?”

“Valeria, it’s barely past eight in the morning.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“Everyone shut up.”

There was a pause as the Sony logo appeared onscreen. Valeria shifted.

“I’m gonna go get popcorn.”

“ _Valeria_.”

“ _What?”_

_“_ Can you get me pão de queijo?”

“I’m going to slap all of you one by one.”

 

Spiderman Homecoming was followed by a rewatch of the first Captain America movie, much to Jason’s happiness. Elias, Lara and Julia ended up falling asleep halfway through.

“You awake?” Percy whispered to him. The living room was dark because of the closed blinds, except for the lights of André and Valeria’s phones, and Percy’s proximity startled him. He cleared his throat.

“Yeah.”

The end credits were interrupted by Percy’s growling stomach. Jason laughed along with him.

“Are we having lunch soon?”

“I don’t think so,” Percy said, stretching his arms above his head. Jason avoided looking at the revealed skin above the line of his jeans. “It’s only noon.”

“What do you want to do?”

Percy’s eyes gleamed with an idea. “We have bikes in the garage, if you want to go for a ride. Maybe you won’t throw up this time.”

Jason elbowed him in the ribs. “You drive way too fast.”

He stood up, offering Percy a hand. “Come on then.”

 

 

**Heterodon’t** (Nico di Angelo) - _so hows brazil_

 

Jason smiled at the notification. He missed his college friends more than he had realized.

 

**Clark Can’t** (Jason Grace) - _its great_

**Clark Can’t** (Jason Grace) - _best part would be the food tbh_

 

Only a minute passed before he got a response.

 

**I’m trans and ur gonna catch these hands** (Leo Valdez) - _thought the best part would be sleeping in jackson’s bed_

 

Jason’s eyes widened. He was about to scream at Leo in their private chat when he realized his friends had been texting him from their own group, which— _thank god—_ Percy wasn’t a part of.

 

**Heterodon’t** (Nico di Angelo) - _kjqdkfqkhfg  
_

**I’m trans and ur gonna catch these hands** (Leo Valdez) - _are you guys dating yet_

 

Jason had only mentioned his enormous crush on Percy to two people, and these would be Leo and Nico— although he was fairly certain that Annabeth and Piper had figured it out on their own a long time ago. He chewed on his lip, staring at the blinking cursor on his screen.

_“_ Jason?”

Percy’s voice almost made him drop his phone on the grass of the garden. He looked up to see his fake boyfriend balancing a bike with each hand, bringing them towards the gate.

“You okay? You look like you’re about to freak out.”

Jason cleared his throat, hoping his voice wouldn’t betray him. “Fine, yeah,” he gestured to his cellphone. “Just Leo being a dumbass.”

Percy grinned that stupidly gorgeous grin of his. “Tell him I said hi.”

“Will do.”

 

**Clark Can’t** (Jason Grace) - _go fuck yourself @leo_

 

**Heterodon’t** (Nico di Angelo) - _what about me_

 

**Clark Can’t** (Jason Grace) - _you have Will to do it for you_

 

**Heterodon’t** (Nico di Angelo) - _fair enough_

 

 

Percy led the way once they were on their bikes, heading left when they passed the gate and into the heart of the neighbourhood. The city center was a lot quieter than Jason expected. He blamed it on Christmas Eve and the absurd temperature.

“I hadn’t ridden a bike in so long,” Jason confessed, looking at Percy on his right.

“Yeah, I usually come here with Lara for groceries. The streets are wider on this side of town, it’s easier to deal with cars and stuff. Not a problem today, though,” Percy smiled, looking at the empty road ahead of them, then back at Jason.

They turned right at the end of a larger avenue. Percy led him through a maze of residential blocks, twisting and turning until they caught a glimpse of the ocean.

“This is nice,” Jason grinned once they reached the road parallel to the beach. A soft breeze pushed them forward. Percy grinned back at him.

“Yeah. It is.”

His eyes lingered on Jason for a moment longer than necessary, and though he probably should have been concerned for Percy’s safety, all Jason could think was _oh my god oh my god oh my god._

“Race you to the house?” Percy asked before the turn to their block. Their usual spark of competitiveness had returned to his eyes, and Jason was glad. It was one of his favorite aspects of their friendship.

“You’re gonna lose,” Jason warned, already pushing forward with more strength. Percy made some comment about not having said _go_ yet, before he hurried to catch up with Jason.

 

 

It was a _really_ close match.

Percy wouldn’t hear it.

“You cheated!” he insisted as they opened the garage door. “You went before I said _go_!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jason replied, a cheeky grin on his face. “I won fair and square.”

Percy mumbled something very similar to _fair and square my ass,_ putting his bike away behind the storage unit. Jason’s phone buzzed.

 

**Mclesbean** (Piper McLean) - _do you think annabeth is a goddess in disguise_

**Mclesbean** (Piper McLean) - _like legit_

**Mclesbean** (Piper McLean) - _how the fuck am i DATING HER_

 

Jason snorted in amusement. He looked up at Percy to show him the texts, when he noticed his friend’s eyes were fixed on something above them.

He followed his gaze to the garage door. A little red thing was taped to the metal hinge.

Mistletoe.

Jason expected Percy to laugh it off, maybe tease him a little with some jokes about their ‘relationship’ _._ The reaction he received was surprising to say the least. Percy’s usual confident banter had died inside his throat, leaving him to stutter as he glanced back and forth between Jason and the garage door.

“I don’t know what— I didn’t—”

“It’s okay,” Jason said, hating the way his voice sounded higher than usual. “We don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“No! I mean, it’s— it’s not that I don’t want to, I just— I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

A short pause.

“You know, when we kiss and stuff. I don’t know about you, but I always get flustered and it’s not really— well, _believable_ ,” Percy rambled.

“So— what, do you want to like, _rehearse_ or something?”

Jason winced at the awkwardness of his own words. Thankfully, Percy gave a small chuckle.

“Yeah. Never mind, I guess it’s stupid,” he shrugged.

“No, I get it! It’s not stupid.”

Percy glanced at his lips. Jason couldn’t remember his face ever feeling so hot.

“So is this okay with you?”

Jason nodded almost imperceptibly. His answer came out a whisper as Percy’s hand touched the back of his neck. “Yeah.”

_You’ve kissed him before. This isn’t a big deal._

Percy’s lips touched Jason’s, the same way they had quite a few times since the beginning of the trip. But he didn’t pull away after a peck. He placed his other hand on Jason’s cheek and gave him one hell of a _proper_ kiss. Jason’s hands went to Percy’s sides, clutching his t-shirt in the tip of his fingers. Suddenly and wonderfully and overwhelmingly so, Jason was fifteen again and had never been kissed by anyone. Not in a way that mattered, anyway. Not like _this_.

Percy’s fingers were grazing the roots of his hair, and Jason pulled them closer together. He had about two seconds to acknowledge Percy’s soft sigh and think _how did I go so long without this_ —

“Boys! Are you back?”

They jumped apart just as quickly as they had reached for each other, Percy’s back hitting one of the wooden stands with a loud _thump_. Too late, Jason realized Paul was expecting an answer. Thankfully, a red-faced Percy obliged.

“Yeah, we’re putting the bikes away!” he shouted back. His voice was steady enough. As long as no one walked into the garage, they were safe from embarrassment.

“All right, well, lunch is almost ready!”

“We’ll be right there,” Percy assured. He caught Jason’s eye briefly— red lips, messed-up hair, wrinkled shirt— before looking down and heading to the house.

 

 

A soft tune played in Jason’s earbuds as he sat on the shore, toes digging in the sand. He turned to face Elias.

“What about this one?” he asked, holding up a yellowish seashell. Elias’s lips pursed as he thought, and the face immediately reminded Jason of Percy.

“Maybe,” he decided, shrugging. Jason dropped the shell.

“Who is this for, anyway? Some cutie, I’m hoping,” Valeria teased, elbowing her brother’s side. He elbowed her back.

“I mean, yeah,” he ended up mumbling, a small smile on his face. Jason and Valeria shared grins.

“Who is it?” Valeria pushed, sitting on her heels, her hands on her thighs. Elias bit his lower lip.

“Promise you won’t say anything?”

Valeria’s usual mischievous glint softened into compassion as she put an arm around her sibling. Jason felt a strong and sudden urge to hug Thalia. He hadn’t seen her for almost a year.

“Of course I promise, dummy.”

There was a pause. Elias’ eyes were lost in the sand under them. Jason tried not to feel like too much of an outsider, but it was getting pretty hard.

“I can give you two some space,” he said, already about to stand up. Elias shook his head.

“No! No, I— I actually would like you to give me some advice. If you don’t mind,” he added. Jason frowned slightly.

“I mean sure, but I’m not sure I’m— well, the best person to do that.”

“It’s a boy,” Elias blurted. Jason remembered Percy’s words the day before, about thinking Elias wasn’t quite straight. He raised his eyebrows.

“ _Oh._ ”

If Valeria was surprised, she didn’t let it show. When Elias didn’t elaborate, she pulled him into a side hug.

“Is it Vini?”

Jason had heard Elias talking about his best friend quite a lot since his arrival. From the little he knew, they had been close since elementary school. Vini was a theatre kid, made bad puns, and had an unhealthy love for cheese sticks.

Elias sighed and closed his eyes as Valeria pulled back from the embrace. “Yeah.”

Valeria smiled fondly. “He _is_ cute. Good taste,” she nodded. Elias snorted. His eyes drifted to Jason briefly, and he remembered that he was supposed to be giving the kid advice.

“Have you come out to anyone?” he asked. Elias’ eyes widened and he quickly shook his head.

“I— I don’t really know, well, _what_ I am exactly,” he fidgeted with his fingers. “If that makes sense.”

“It does,” Jason guaranteed. “I didn’t settle for a label until I was about nineteen. You don’t have to pressure yourself to have one.”

“What do you identify as?” Valeria asked him.

“Bi.”

She nodded. Elias’ eyes were different, somehow— like he was seeing Jason in a new light.

“This is all so sudden, I really don’t know what to do,” he confessed, chuckling softly. Jason smiled back.

“Been there.”

“Really?”

“Oh absolutely,” Jason assured. “I dated a girl for a long time before I met Percy. She eventually realized she wasn’t interested, and things changed from there.”

Jason didn’t even have to lie. His relationship with Piper had been one huge trainwreck, and they had left on very friendly terms.

And of course, things changed a _lot_ for him once he met Percy.

Elias seemed hesitant, fingers picking at the skin around his nails.

“You can ask me questions,” Jason encouraged with a small smile. “Go ahead.”

“Would you say you’re attracted to boys and girls on the same level?” Elias slowly tried, clearly choosing his words carefully. Jason paused.

“No. I’d say I’m like, 70% attracted to boys, to be honest.”

Elias nodded.

“When did you come out?” Valeria asked. Jason took a deep breath.

“Oh boy, here we go.”

They chuckled.

“The first time I told anyone, I was fourteen and going home from a theme park with my sister. Official coming out would have to be in my senior year of high school, though.”

“Did you get outed?” Elias asked. The waves hit harder on the sand, and they were splashed with salt water. Jason shook his head.

“I came out to my group of friends, and then if anyone asked me, I’d just tell the truth. So I didn’t go around announcing it or anything, but I didn’t deny it anymore.”

Elias seemed to be getting more comfortable with the conversation. “Cool. Last question though.”

“Sure.”

“Did your parents have any problems with it?”

Jason tensed, and Elias and Valeria noticed it.

“Sorry. You don’t have to talk about it.”

“No,” Jason cleared his throat. “It’s fine. Um, my mother passed away when I was about to turn seventeen, and I’ve never lived with my father. He left when I was two.”

Elias and Valeria nodded quietly. Jason was glad they didn’t say the usual and polite _‘sorry for your loss’._ He hadn’t _lost_ anyone; he never had them in the first place.

“Hey!”

Percy’s arrival made them all look up. The boy stopped next to Jason, hands on his knees, breathing heavily from all his running.

“We’re about to play volley, come on, we have to make the teams,” he called. Before they all stood up, Elias caught the yellow seashell Jason had shown him.

“You know what, I think I’m gonna go for this one,” he said. Jason shared his grin and threw an arm around the boy’s shoulders as they walked.

 

 

“ _Jason_.”

Percy’s mouth hung open in amazement as he stared at the living room floor. In total, there were over twenty presents wrapped in Jason’s silky blue paper.

“What?” Jason asked, his arm around Percy’s waist as his family looked on.

“You spent _so much money,_ ” Percy finally said, astounded, eyes drifting from one box to another. Jason pulled one of the largest ones towards him.

“This one’s yours.”

A few minutes and complaints later, Percy found himself staring at a brand new vinyl turntable, and a set of three discs— Led Zeppelin, The Black Keys, and The White Stripes.

“Holy shit.”

“Language,” Sally chided, though her smile softened the blow. Percy turned to Jason and tackled him into a hug.

“Thank you.”

Jason hugged back, hiding his blush behind Percy’s shoulder. “No problem.”

Other highlights from Jason’s presents to the Jacksons included Faber Castell sketchbooks and pencils for Lara, a fancy book of fairy tales for Estelle, and a full day at the local spa for Sally— along with a set of three wine glasses to replace the ones he broke (she had laughed quite a bit at that one). Every single person in the house received a gift, and by the time he was done, Percy looked divided between murdering him and kissing him.

“I told you you didn’t have to get _anyone_ presents, and what did you do?” Percy shifted against the couch and crossed his arms, but his lips showed amusement. “You bought the equivalent of your student loans in tea towels for Alice and Farrah.”

Jason laughed. “Tea towels _and_ candles,” he teased. Percy elbowed him in the ribs.

“You shouldn’t have,” Percy said. Jason shrugged with a small smile.

“I really don’t mind. I _wanted_ to,” he assured. Jason didn’t say it, but his mother’s will had left him more than enough money to share with the people who made him happy. Percy must have thought of the same thing, because he stopped insisting.

“Jason,” Paul called. He turned around to see him walking towards him with his wife. Sally handed him a small leather box.

“Merry Christmas.”

Percy grinned at Jason’s reaction to the silver and black watch. “I helped them pick.”

“Thank you so much,” Jason chuckled, hugging both of Percy’s parents.

“Oh,” Percy grabbed one of the boxes under the tree, wrapped in green and red. “This one’s from me.”

Before Jason could stand up from the couch and join him, Percy sat back next to him and dropped the box on his lap. When he pulled at the tape and saw the name of the brand, he stopped and turned to Percy with hopeful eyes.

“Percy, is this—”

“Open it, come on,” Percy rushed him. Jason pulled the rest of the paper apart and stared at the portable photo printer he had been meaning to buy for _ages._ He remembered one of his constant arguments with Percy, about whether photos were better in digital or physical form. Apparently, Percy hadn’t forgotten his thoughts.

“ _Oh my god_ ,” Jason grinned. “Thank you _so much!_ ”

He hugged Percy tight, ignoring the cardboard digging into his leg. Before they could pull apart, Percy moved slightly and his lips touched Jason’s ear.

“My mom is watching, can I kiss you?” he whispered barely audibly. Jason fought the heavier beating of his heart and nodded, right before Percy leaned in.

_The third time. This is the third time today_.

 

 

The door to Percy’s room closed behind Sally after she kissed them both goodnight. Jason reached for the bedside table and unfolded Estelle’s drawing for what was probably the hundredth time in an hour, his fingers passing over the colorful crayon traits. Three stick figures represented Jason, Percy, and little Estelle herself between them, holding bright objects that he supposed were the seashells they had collected a few days prior. His head was about the same size as the pink sun in a corner of the page, and Percy was significantly taller than him (which of course the idiot had _gladly_ pointed out himself), but none of that mattered. He tucked it back inside his wallet right as Percy stepped out of the bathroom.

“Your family is incredible,” Jason stated, slightly surprised at how emotional his tone had sounded. Percy grinned.

“Yeah, they’re pretty fantastic, aren’t they?” He sat down on the edge of the mattress, tanned legs dangling.

There was a pause.

“Sometimes I feel bad for my dad,” Percy deadpanned. Jason blinked.

“What?”

In all the years he had known him, Percy had never even _mentioned_ his biological dad before. Jason only knew from Annabeth that Percy had never met him, and that he left Sally before Percy was born.

Percy cleared his throat. Jason could tell what he was doing was difficult for him. “Yeah, I mean— he gave up on all of this, you know? I have no idea where he is now, or what his life is like, but I keep thinking that— well, if he had stayed, maybe he could have been a part of everything.”

Jason understood Percy’s feelings more than he could ever properly explain with words. He resorted to nodding.

“I get it. My dad left too.”

Percy’s glance didn’t falter. He even seemed encouraging.

“You were little, weren’t you?”

Jason swallowed. His throat felt dry as he nodded.

“Yeah, uh, I was— I was two. Thalia was nine, it was a lot harder on her.”

“Doesn’t mean it didn’t affect you too,” Percy reasoned. Jason shrugged.

“I guess. Anyway, it doesn’t really matter. I barely even knew him. I grew up with Thalia and my mom.”

Percy waited.

“She was nothing like yours,” Jason’s laugh came bitter. “She drank a lot. And when I say a lot, I mean a _lot_. Half the time, she would just pass out on the couch. Thalia would have to take care of everything, including checking if she was even breathing.”

Jason wasn’t sure what came over him, but he found himself rambling about everything he had kept to himself until then. Every memory came back so strongly, so vividly and so suddenly that he felt completely overwhelmed, and by the time he stopped talking to catch his breath, he could feel his cheeks wet.

“I’m sorry,” Percy said as soon as Jason’s tears started to fall. “I’m sorry, we don’t have to talk about it, I shouldn’t have—”

“It’s okay,” Jason put a hand over Percy’s on the mattress. “I— I needed this,” he admitted.

Percy turned his palm upwards and held Jason’s hand, waiting patiently.

“My mom used to be married,” Percy quietly started, just as Jason began to worry about the silence between them. “Before Paul came along, I mean. His name was Gabriel. I called him Smelly Gabe.”

Despite his chaos of an emotional state, Jason chuckled. He gave Percy’s palm an encouraging squeeze.

“He drank too. Smoked. Dealt drugs. The whole ordeal. Worst of all was probably the violence, though.”

Jason’s chest hurt. “He hit you?”

Percy nodded grimly. “Mom too.”

“Shit. _Shit,_ Percy, I’m so sorry,” Jason wiped away a tear with the back of his free hand. Percy chuckled, pulling Jason into a tight hug.

“Don’t cry, you dumbass, it was ten years ago.”

“Still,” Jason sniffed. “I should have asked. I’ve been through that too, and I know how it feels, and I should have _asked_ if you were okay—”

“You’re making absolutely no sense right now,” Percy interrupted, moving back to frame Jason’s face in his hands. “You’re not guilty of _anything_ , you literal angel. I’m okay. I promise you.”

Percy’s own eyes were starting to water. Jason laughed softly, using the heel of his hand to stop the last of his tears. He breathed in time with Percy.

“Okay?” Percy asked after a while. Jason looked down at their intertwined legs on the bed, and their hands firmly held on Percy’s lap. He nodded.

“Yeah.”

Percy blinked his own tears out of his eyes, and gave both of Jason’s hands a squeeze. He took a deep breath and grinned.

“Okay. Let’s go to sleep, then.”

Jason nodded, pulling at the blankets underneath him and slipping under them with ease. Percy joined him on his own side of the mattress, and after sharing a brief glance with Jason, intertwined their fingers under the covers.

“And if you _ever_ need to talk about _anything at all_ ,” Jason whispered, “I’m here.”

Percy nodded, sinking deeper into the bed and resting his head on Jason’s shoulder. He yawned softly. “Yeah. I know.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeet


	7. Days Eight and Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> pining pining pining

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the delay!!!! im a dumb bitch who wrote half this chapter three weeks ago and then proceeded to procrastinate forever on finishing it ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
> im still not completely happy with this but here you go i guess? sorry if this sucks

“Boys, come on,” Sally whispered gently from the doorframe. When neither of them reacted, she stepped forward and gently put a hand on Percy’s shoulder.

“It’s nearly one in the afternoon,” she said, smiling when Percy opened his eyes slowly. He blinked and turned to tap Jason’s arm, resting around his own waist.

“We’ll be right downstairs, mom,” Percy’s voice was croaky. He smiled, and his mom nodded. Jason took a deep breath and ran a free hand over his face. Percy chuckled.

“Morning, sleepyhead.”

Sally stopped in the doorway and turned around, her expression fond. “You guys are so cute.”

Needless to say, Jason started his day quite flustered. As for Percy, he only grinned his usual grin, sitting up and putting some space between them once Sally left. Jason wondered how he kept it together so well.

 _Well, not being in love with the person you’re pretending to date is probably a good factor here_ , his unhelpful brain whispered to him.

“Interesting.”

They both turned to the door in surprise. Lara was standing in the hallway, right hand on her hip and a smug smile on her face. Her other hand held a toothbrush, a pearl of toothpaste almost falling from the bristles. Her pyjama shorts and tank top were Winnie the Pooh themed, and Jason bit back a snort.

“You don’t like each other, huh?” she continued. “Sure.”

Percy grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it at her face. She ducked just in time, and disappeared down the hall with a cackle and insults in Portuguese.

“Don’t mind her,” Percy chuckle. “I’m gonna have a shower, if that’s okay?”

“Sure, just let me get my toothbrush.”

 

“We got ‘em,” Tia Miranda announced loudly as she stepped back inside the living room with her eldest daughter, both of them balancing about six or seven pizza boxes each. The rest of the family cheered and yelled from their various spots in the house.

“Where should we put them, tia?” Valeria asked, dropping the house keys into the small porcelain plate by the front door.

“You can just put them on the table for now, I’ll cut them into parts later,” Sally said from the kitchen, drying her hands on a rag before dropping it across her left shoulder. “Thank you, love.”

Valeria fell on the couch next to the rest of the cousins as they waited. She sighed happily. “I feel like I’m back in college.”

Jason and Percy chuckled and shared a look. Percy had never allowed any of their friends to go without at least one proper meal a day. The last time Nico had tried to leave their dorm without having breakfast, Percy had made him skip first period and prepared the best scrambled eggs any of them had ever had. Having an incredible cook for a best friend had its perks, Jason had to admit.

“Is it raining?” Paul asked, coming down the stairs.

“Not yet, but definitely soon,” André leaned forward to look out the window. “The clouds are dark.”

About three seconds later, as if on cue, they heard their first roll of thunder in the distance. Sally raised her eyebrows.

“Guess the beach is cancelled, then.”

 

Once they settled in the living room with their pizzas and drinks, it all quickly became quite cozy. Halfway through one of Julia’s stories (something involving a game of truth or dare, her three best friends, and a wild animal on school grounds), the lights of the living room died with a _buzz_ sound. For a beat, they all just sat in the dark in stunned silence.

“This is why I always have my phone with me, mom,” Elias declared, turning on his flashlight. Percy chuckled and stood up next to Jason.

“I’ll get the candles. At least Jason’s gifts are gonna come in handy,” he grinned.

Once they had enough light from their phones and the candlelight, they all quickly cleared the kitchen and set the trash bags under the front porch. A proper storm had started, and there was no way they could walk to the block’s garbage bins without getting drenched.

“So what now?” Jason asked. He had packed two books for the flights, and was thinking about getting settled in the couch with one of them, but he didn’t want to leave Percy alone and bored. The boy grinned, his eyes sparkling with an idea.

“Lara, did you bring that pack of playing cards you had on Thanksgiving?”

Lara’s face lit up in excitement. “I’ll go get it.”

As soon as she returned, all the kids sat down on the living room rug in a shape vaguely resembling a circle. Jason wondered if any of the parents wanted to play, but when he looked back at the table Miranda was opening another bottle of wine, and they already seemed engaged in an enthusiastic conversation.

“Do you know how to play President?” André asked, shuffling the cards in quick motions. Jason only realized he was talking to him when all the cousins turned to face him.

“Uh, no,” he confessed.

“It’s super easy,” Percy leaned closer and proceeded to explain the rules of the game. While he spoke, André started distributing the cards between the seven of them.

“Got it?” Percy finally asked. The dim light from the candles made Percy’s eye color seem darker than usual.

_Had his eyelashes always been this long?_

Jason cleared his throat. _“_ Yeah, I think so.”

“Great.”

They played a few rounds, and Jason slowly got the hang of it. Someone had gotten Percy’s brand new turntable, and the Black Keys record played softly in the background. Lara decided they were done with card games after Elias threw an ace of spades at Julia’s face and almost caught it on fire when it landed on a nearby candle.

“What about Monopoly?” Valeria half-yelled from the kitchen, over the loud noise of the coffee machine. “We haven’t played in a while.”

“Oh, if you’re playing Monopoly I’m down too,” Paul declared. Most of the adults nodded and got up from the table.

“Does the game even work with so many people?” Percy frowned. Jason checked the box that André had just dropped on the rug.

“We can always play in pairs,” he shrugged.

“Smart.”

“Elias, will you be my buddy?” Valeria asked, putting a hand on her brother’s shoulder.

“You ate my dessert. I’m pairing with Lara.”

Valeria tapped the back of his head with more force than necessary, and dropped on the floor next to Julia. “You?”

The girl gestured to her twin brother. “Sorry.”

Valeria’s eyes turned to Percy. “I’m guessing you lovebirds are joined at the hip too.”

Lara and Elias shared a look as Percy gave a grin and laced his fingers with Jason’s exaggeratedly. Valeria sighed.

“I’ll just pair with grandpa.”

 

As it turned out, Jim was surprisingly great at Monopoly. Jason was pretty sure he ended up losing about half of his and Percy’s money to the Jackson grandfather.

“We’re so terrible at this,” Percy chuckled, sending their pawn to the prison square with a flick of his fingers. Jason chuckled, counting the meagre dollar bills on the rug next to them.

“I’d say we’re _decent._ I think we have enough to survive for about three rounds.”

“Great.”

“Julia, we’re buying that from you,” Farrah announced. Julia looked up at Alice and her wife.

“How much?”

Farrah raised a stack of fake money. Julia’s eyes widened.

“Deal.”

“Thats’s way too much,” Percy turned to Alice. “You’re gonna lose.”

Alice snorted. “I know what I’m doing, kid. Get you and your boyfriend out of jail, then we’ll talk.”

As Jason had predicted, they ran out of money shortly after managing to get out of prison. Percy pouted and brought his knees to his chest, silently watching the rest of the game while pretending not to mope. Jason chuckled and put an arm around his shoulders. This earned them a raised eyebrow from Lara, but she didn’t comment.

 

“Okay, who’s hungry?”

Most of the family gave some form of enthusiastic agreement, except Percy, still pissed about the monopoly game. However, as soon as Sally brought out her seven layer dip, his wide eyes betrayed him.

“Can you set the table for me, love?” Sally asked Jason, a hand on his shoulder. “Julia, André, help him out.”

They prepared plates and glasses while the rest of the family put away the monopoly board. Alice and Farrah had ended up winning, and were now wearing clumsily cut-out cardboard crowns made by Estelle.

“Jason, you’re not ready,” Percy grinned as they sat down to eat. André passed him the tortilla chips.

“Go ahead, guests first.”

Under most of the Jacksons’ eyes, Jason took his first bite. He didn’t even have time to be embarrassed about the delighted sound he made; the cousins were already cheering.

“You can keep him, he passed the test,” Sally told Percy, leaning down to kiss the top of Jason’s head. He didn’t know if the flush on his face was due to Sally’s affection, or Percy’s smile as he looked at him.

 

The electricity only returned after dark, around eleven. When Jason walked back downstairs to get his phone charger, he was greeted with one of the most adorable sights of his life. Little Estelle was sleeping on top of her older brother, safely curled up against his chest. Percy himself was breathing softly, eyes closed, chin touching the top of Estelle’s head. His arms were wrapped around her protectively, and Jason could tell that if she moved or started falling, Percy would wake up. He smiled to himself and thought of taking a picture, but his phone was still dead. He settled for a soft kiss to Percy’s hair.

“Goodnight.”

Jason turned to leave. He only had one foot on the first step of the stairs when Percy grunted and shifted on the couch.

“G‘night, Jay.”

 

 

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were trying to seduce me.”

Percy snorted at Jason’s words, pulling his clean shirt over his head and down his torso. His hair was still damp from his shower, and he shook his towel through it. The morning sun had just appeared over the horizon, and the light in the room was a soft orange.

“What do you mean, if you didn’t know any better? Isn’t it working?” he shot back, in the same teasing tone. Jason gave a suggestive eyebrow raise from his spot on the bed, and Percy laughed.

“Note to self : parade half-dressed more often.”

Jason was saved from the embarrassment of trying to find a reply to that. A loud noise came from downstairs, and they shared a concerned look before leaving to investigate.

“Is everything okay?” Jason asked, Percy following soon behind him at the bottom of the stairs. They found Tio Felipe behind the television, in what looked like a violent fight against the stubborn electricity. He grunted and hit the side of the furniture in frustration.

“Still out,” he announced. Valeria and Lara sighed from the kitchen.

“Damn,” Percy grabbed two mugs from the cupboard and handed one to Jason. “Do you think we’ll be able to see the match tonight?”

“That’s what I was thinking,” Felipe stood up again and accepted a glass of water from his eldest daughter with a nod. The kids waited as he drank. “We might have to go to the city.”

“Is the weather going to be any better today?” Percy frowned.

“Dunno.”

Lara reached for her phone to check. Jason took a sip of his tea and sat behind the counter on one of the stools. Valeria handed him a pack of biscuits.

“Should be okay,” Lara finally declared. “Rain only starts again around midnight.”

“Sweet. I think I’m gonna go for a swim then,” Valeria said, standing up. “You guys coming?”

Percy grinned and turned to Jason. He nodded. “Sure!”

Jason volunteered to wash the dishes, but Percy insisted, and they ended up splitting the job. By half past ten, they were all in their bathing suits around the pool. Two hours later, another churrasco had begun.

“You can go ahead and swim,” Sally took the plate of fraldinha from Percy’s hands and kissed his forehead. “You and Jason have helped enough.”

“How’s the swim team doing by the way?” Jason asked as they walked to the pool. Percy smiled.

“Great! We’re heading to Portland in March. Everyone is super excited.”

“Why are you even captain?” Lara elbowed Percy in the side, biting a chunk of garlic bread. She swallowed and pointed the rest of the bread at her cousin. “Last time we agreed to race, I beat you.”

“Yeah? Well make it to college and then we’ll talk.”

“I’m two years away from graduating,” she challenged, crossing her arms. Percy scoffed.

“You’re like, twelve.”

Jason noticed Percy’s stance on the edge of the pool, and a mischievous smile found its way to his face. Giving Lara a distinct look he hoped she would get, he slowly made his way back to stand behind his pretend boyfriend. Lara kept provoking him. Jason knew she understood what he was planning on doing when she asked Percy if he had his phone with him.

“What?” Percy frowned. “No, I left it inside, but why—”

Jason’s bare foot only gave a slight push to the base of Percy’s spine, but it was enough. The boy went crashing into the pool, sending water all over his cousins who were already bathing. Percy hadn’t even surfaced yet when the Jacksons started cheering. Sally offered Jason a high five, and he accepted it with a laugh.

“Here,” Alice said, handing him a plate of picanha. “You earned it.”

Percy spat out a stream of pool water and coughed, but didn’t seem to be otherwise hurt. He glared at Jason, but only got an innocent smile back.

“You fuckers.”

“Hey, at least we made sure you didn’t have your phone on you,” Jason argued.

“Yeah, because you would have paid it back if you broke it.”

“Whatever.”

Percy pulled himself out of the water, ditching the ladder and choosing to lift himself over the edge instead. Jason turned around to avoid being too obvious in his ogling of Percy’s arms.

“Did you try these?” Lara asked, showing Jason what looked like a small yellow candy wrapper. He shook his head no.

“What are they?”

“I don’t really know how to explain. They’re called paçoquitas, _very_ Brazilian. Ask Sally.”

Percy threw water at Jason’s face as he dried his hair, and Jason stuck his tongue out at him. Lara rolled her eyes.

“You two are worse than toddlers.”

Percy replied with water to Lara’s face this time. Jason left their bickering behind him, and went to find Sally by the fridge.

“Hey um, do you have any paçoquitas left mo—”

Jason stopped talking when he realized what he almost said.

“…Sally?”

She gave him the largest smile he had ever seen from her, and he felt his face turning red. Before he could do something—  _apologize? be even more awkward not knowing what to do?—_ she pulled him into a hug.

“You can call me mom anytime.”

Jason would deny it later, but he had to blink hard to stop his tears from falling.

That afternoon, he stepped out of the shower to find a pile of paçoquitas on his side of Percy’s bed, and he couldn’t stop smiling the whole evening after that.

 

“If you’re not into soccer, this gets annoying real fast,” Felipe warned. Jason shrugged and took the last sip of his soda.

“I don’t mind. I enjoy the company.”

Felipe briefly put a friendly hand on his back and turned back to the TV above the bar. The place was crowded, but apparently the owner was a friend of the Jackson family, and made sure they got enough spots by the television. Percy, Sally, Jim, Valeria and Lara went with them, and the rest of the family decided to have dinner at the food court of the nearest mall.

Felipe stood up to go to the bathroom after a penalty, and was immediately replaced by Percy. The boy slid onto the stool and handed Jason a mojito.

“I didn’t really feel like drinking tonight,” Jason said.

“It’s a virgin,” Percy countered. “I know my best friend.”

They shared a grin and knocked their glasses together. “Cheers,” Jason chuckled.

A loud advertising jingle played on the screen, and most of the bar lost interest, conversations turning louder. Percy faced him.

“I just wanted to thank you for accepting to come here in the first place.”

Jason frowned, surprised. “Thank me?”

“Well yeah,” Percy shrugged. “Not a lot of people would have done what you’re doing for me. It’s really cool of you.”

Time seemed to freeze in Jason’s mind. Percy was looking at him, and all Jason could think of was how easy it would be to just tell him right there and then. Tell him about all those times he had made Percy laugh and the voice in his head urging him to kiss him just grew louder and louder. About how despite his early protests to the fake dating idea, he never would have refused to come in the first place, because he _couldn’t_ have refused Percy anything, even if he had wanted to _(he didn’t)_. Percy made him feel the way summer rain and soft skin and contagious smiles did. He wanted to say that whenever he pictured himself happy in the future, Percy was right there by his side. He wanted to tell him all of that and more, he wanted Percy to know he was the single most dedicated and loveable person Jason had ever met, that Jason had been in love with him for what seemed like his entire goddamn life _(less than two years)_ , that Percy was the best thing that had ever happened to him and he couldn’t remember ever feeling as complete as he did when they were alone side by side without a care in the world.

He looked back at Percy with a smile, and didn't say any of those things.

“I should be the one thanking _you_ , really.”

In the end, it didn’t really matter if Jason told him or not. Percy beamed, and it was enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments cure my acne and the ukulele dents on my fingers


	8. Day Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> bonding moments that become more and more ambiguous and gay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im a McFucking Mess who planned for ten chapters and is going to end up with more than that  
> HELLO  
> sorry for the wait, in my defense i started dating someone (hooray to me) and havent had time for much besides seeing the person & failing some exams  
> without further ado heres the bullshit yall r here for

“Four more days until New Year’s Eve,” Percy announced, uncapping his blue marker and making a messy cross over the square for December 27th on his wall’s calendar.

Jason smiled, stretching up on the bed. The sunlight was still scarce, but it hit the room in an orange glow. Percy had never looked more angelic.

“Are more of your family members going to be coming over?” he asked. While waiting for Percy’s response, he opened their group chat on his laptop and scrolled up to check for unread messages.

_274._

He resisted the urge to sigh.

“If I tell you, you might have a stroke,” Percy chuckled, turning back to Jason. The blond raised an eyebrow.

“Really?”

“There’s a total of forty-seven people coming over for midnight.”

Jason blinked.

“Which means, of course,” Percy continued, “that there will be _at least_ sixty people because Brazilian families don’t know how to attend an event without bringing even more people along. And by people, I mean total strangers I most _definitely_ will end up calling _tio_ and _tia_ by the end of the night.”

Jason could only stare as Percy gave a satisfied smile.

“You seem pretty prepared,” he finally commented.

“It’s happened every year. You’ll see.”

Jason chuckled, putting his laptop to the side to look at Percy. “Thalia and I barely even celebrated. Mom would be working, and with a bit of luck we would meet Annabeth somewhere with Luke—”

Jason stopped. Took a breath.

“With some other kids. Didn’t happen often though.”

_Way to drop your tragic backstory unprompted_ , he told himself. Percy, thankfully, didn’t seem bothered _._

“Well you’ll be happy to know all that shitty stuff is behind you,” he sat closer and put an arm around Jason’s shoulders. “You’re the lucky guest of honor in a Jackson gathering, Jay.”

Jason felt his cheeks burning. He didn’t know what to reply to that, so he didn’t.

“Besides, if it all goes wrong,” Percy shrugged, “we can always go get shit-faced in the backyard.”

This time, Jason laughed.

 

Around eight in the morning, they headed downstairs to check if anyone else was awake. Grandpa Jim sat in his usual chair with a mug of dark coffee and greeted them with a smile. While Jason got their cups of tea, Percy and his grandfather talked in Portuguese behind him.

“Jason, do you want to go to the town market with us? Grandpa has to run some errands, it shouldn’t take too long,” Percy translated as Jason sat back down next to him.

“Sure,” he nodded to Jim. “Sounds great.”

The car ride was only about five minutes long. As soon as they reached what Percy and Jim were calling the _feira_ , Jason knew it was going to be one of the coolest things about his trip. Jim parked under a large oak tree, hopped out of the car and gave the boys half his list before heading in the opposite direction. Jason quickly lost sight of him among the colorful market stands.

“This is so great,” Jason said, trying not to look like a stunned puppy as he stared at everything and everyone around him. Percy gave an amused smile at his reaction.

“It’s just the market. I mean yeah, it’s different than home, for sure,” he chuckled, picking up a large cantaloupe and checking for marks or insects.

Jason didn’t respond. Maybe it was just his upbringing that made him so weirdly interested in something so ordinary, but he couldn’t stop marvelling at all the colors and the noise and the smells and the people. A little girl ran by, chasing after her dog, and gave Jason a toothless grin before continuing on her way.

“What else do we need to get?” he asked Percy. His friend turned to respond, but was interrupted by a cheerful and enthusiastic woman behind the stacks of dark green boxes. Jason waited and listened to their conversation. He picked up a few familiar words, including his own name and _férias,_ the Portuguese word for ‘holidays’. The woman nodded and said something else, before waving them both goodbye and turning to the next client in line.

“A friend of _tia_ Sofia's,” Percy explained as they walked. “She was asking me about her, mom, Estelle and everyone else.”

“I heard my name,” Jason commented. Percy nodded.

“Yeah, I explained you were around for break. She could tell you’re not from here,” Percy chuckled. Jason shared his smile.

“Am I really that obvious?”

Percy shrugged. “It’s okay, your whole admiration thing is cute. Come on, let me show you something.”

Percy led him to another stand, some rows further to their right. A few people were sitting on small wooden stools and drinking what looked somewhat similar to lemonade, if only some shades greener.

Jason turned to Percy for an explanation.

“Breakfast,” Percy grinned. He walked up to one of the guys behind the counter and ordered two and two of something Jason didn’t catch.

“Are those pastries?” he asked, looking to the side as another customer received his order. Percy seemed to consider it.

“Kind of, I guess. You’ll see.”

“You’re really no help at all, you know that?”

Percy stuck his tongue out at him, sitting on the closest free stool. “You’re gonna like it, I promise. It’s really good.”

Their order was ready a few short minutes later, accompanied by more smiles and greetings from people who knew Percy by name. Jason was more hungry than he had realized, and when Percy held up his food and gestured for him to take a bite, he didn’t argue.

“Good?” Percy asked. Jason nodded, eyes wide.

“ _Really_ good.”

Percy grinned. “Jason, meet _pastel de queijo_. The drink is called _caldo de cana_ ,” he added, gesturing to the cup next to them. “You can’t get more Brazilian than this.”

An important thought only occurred to Jason after they were both done eating.

“Wait, did you pay for my food?”

“I didn’t pay for anything, they wouldn’t let me. Said it was on the house.”

“More family friends?” Jason asked. Percy nodded, taking another sip from his drink.

“Distant cousins. Or maybe not so distant, I’m not too sure.”

The heat was starting to become heavy on Jason’s back. He checked his phone. _09:36._

God, they were in for a long day.

Percy stretched his arms up above his head and sighed. He looked at Jason, and they shared a smile. For a moment, Jason wanted to close his eyes and appreciate the warmth, both from the summer morning and the boy in front of him. A thought held him back, though.

“Should we finish buying the food?”

Percy blinked. “Oh. Yeah, I forgot about that,” he chuckled.

“Yeah,” Jason repeated. “What’s left?”

Percy unfolded Jim’s piece of paper as they stood up again. “Carrots, a watermelon, and…” he trailed off, frowning, and pulled the list closer to his face. “God, he has terrible handwriting.”

Jason took a look. The list was in Portuguese, but he tried his best to decipher the small, round letters.

“ _Cereja_?” he tried, wincing at his own accent. Percy turned.

“Yeah. Yeah, that’s— that means cherries. Thanks,” he smiled. “That was fast.”

Jason shrugged. “I’m used to Leo’s disgusting notes.”

Percy grimaced. “Yeah, he really does have awful writing.”

“Like a toddler on a sugar high.”

Percy laughed, tucking the list into his back pocket and reaching for Jason’s hand. Their fingers intertwined.

“Come on, we’re meeting Jim by the car when we’re done.”

 

 

The sun continued to burn strong in the sky after lunch. The day wasn’t completely clear, and the heat was humid and heavy, seeping through the cracks of the Jackson house until the kids broke and decided to leave for the beach.

“Couldn’t we just go to the pool?” Valeria asked, tying her hair up in a tighter ponytail.

“ _No_ , Val, dad was cleaning it,” Elias said, walking ahead. “The beach is better anyway.”

Lara put an arm around her brother’s shoulders and raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure this isn’t about Vini?”

Elias turned a shade closer to pink. “No.”

“Eli, you asked me if the food we were bringing was kosher,” Percy argued. “So unless you’re planning on changing your diet…”

Lara and Val shared knowing glances. Elias sighed.

“Well, is it kosher?”

Percy snorted. “Yes, Elias, it _is_ kosher.”

“Good.”

There was a short pause as they walked.

“Last one in the sea has to do the dishes!” Elias yelled as soon as his feet hit the sand. Jason, never one to lose a bet, _especially_ in front of Percy, hurried to catch up.

Ironically enough, that night’s dishes would be given to Elias himself, too distracted by a boy with golden-tanned skin and curly blond hair, no older than fourteen, standing barefoot on the pier and waving his arms excitedly.

 

“Are you cold?”

Percy’s words took Jason by surprise. It wasn’t properly dark yet, but the sun was only moments away from touching the sea. Jason was wrapped up in his towel, already dry after long hours in the water, but the breeze was getting colder and he kept shivering despite himself.

“A bit.”

“And you didn’t bring a jacket like I told you to, did you?”

Jason sighed. “No, _mom.”_

Percy snickered and reached for something inside his backpack. “Put that towel away, it’s still wet.”

Jason didn’t argue, dropping it to the side and rubbing his arms to stay warm. Percy took the towel from him and opened it across the sand, before giving him the black and blue hoodie he had fished from his bag.

“Dude, no, you’re gonna be cold—”

“I’m fine, don’t worry,” Percy assured. “Take it.”

Jason pulled it over his head with a _thank you._ He had to make a considerable effort not to stick his nose against the collar and take a deep breath. It smelled exactly the way he knew Percy did, from long years of rooming with him— peppermint soap and the sweet cologne Paul always gave him for his birthday. The sleeves were a little short, but it wasn’t big enough of a difference for it to bother Jason.

“It suits you.”

Jason returned Percy’s smile. “Thanks. I stole this from you once, last year I think.”

“Yeah, I remember. You and your laundry issues.”

They sat silently for a moment, content as they watched the Jackson cousins yelling and laughing, running out of the water.

“We should make a campfire,” Percy commented. “I’m pretty sure Julia has matches in her bag.”

Thirty minutes, a whole lot of struggling and wood-searching later, they were passing around marshmallows and funny anecdotes about each other, trying their best to make Jason laugh the hardest as a bright flame burned in the center of their comfortable circle.

Percy’s face reflected the orange glow of the fire, glaring down at Elias for the hundredth time since the beginning of his story.

“I didn’t _squeal_ ,” he corrected, but there were too many laughs for him to be heard. “Hey!”

“I’m sorry Percy, but you totally did,” Lara snickered. “I have to agree with him on this one.”

“Didn’t know you were so easily scared by horror movies,” Jason teased. Percy immediately went red.

“I’m not!”

Valeria raised an eyebrow. “What about the time we watched _Insidious_?”

“It was _night_ and we were _home alone_ , that doesn’t count!”

“Right.”

“Anyway, you’re one to talk,” Percy scoffed, turning back to Jason. “Didn’t you refuse to join Piper’s horror movie marathon back in June?”

“That’s because Piper’s taste in horror movies is awful. I’m not watching all eight _Saw_ movies, I’d fall asleep.”

The conversation went on for a while. The flames and the laughter made Jason feel warm and as peaceful as he had ever been. He wished he could save the moment in a bottle, for his darker days.

“Hey.”

Jason opened his eyes with no memory of having closed them in the first place. His head was against Percy’s shoulder, and when he looked up, the boy was smiling fondly at him, his eyes showing an emotion Jason couldn’t decipher in the dark.

“Wanna go down to the beach one last time? We’re gonna have to go home soon.”

Jason blinked the sleep out of his eyes and nodded. Percy’s hand brushed the side of his face affectionately.

“You have sand on your cheek.”

Jason stood up and offered him a hand. “Come on then, Aquaman.”

The tide had changed again, the waves running low and quiet as they reached the shore.

“You know what I love doing when the water’s like this?” Percy asked. His mischievous smile was back on his face, and Jason stopped dead in his tracks.

“If you push me into the sea, I will literally hop on the first plane back home tomorrow.”

Percy laughed. “No, not that, trust me. Come on.”

Jason watched as Percy walked into the sea, testing the tide.

“You’re gonna get drenched,” Jason called, louder this time as Percy kept going further. He didn’t respond, going as far down the beach as he dared.

The water rose out of nowhere. If Jason had been standing in Percy’s spot, he would have received tall waves of salt water directly to the face. Percy, however, had seemed to expect it. The second it happened, he turned on his heels and ran back to Jason, barely reaching the sand in time. Jason laughed.

“Really? _That’s_ your fun?”

“Come on! Come with me this time,” Percy insisted, putting his hands on Jason’s shoulders as he came up behind him, turning him to face the sea. “Look.”

They watched as the water slowly backed up again, until it lost itself in the darkness. Jason could feel Percy’s breath on the back of his neck. He shivered.

“Still cold?” Percy chuckled.

_Was he teasing him? Did he know?_

“A little,” Jason lied.

Percy waited a bit more, then tapped his shoulders. “Come on.”

Jason turned to the side and tried to glance at the Jackson cousins on the other side of the beach, but they were too far away, and he could only hear their music and loud voices from the pier. He sighed, gave Percy a short nod, and walked forward with him.

“Don’t go too fast,” Percy said. “You need to be a little behind to see when they’re coming back.”

Jason nodded, slowing his pace. Percy stepped on a larger mount of sand and almost lost his balance to the left, before Jason caught him by the arm.

“Careful.”

Percy was dangerously close to his face. Even in the dark, Jason caught a glimpse of the freckles on his nose. He wanted to kiss them one by one, and it terrified him.

“Fuck!”

Percy had barely spoken the word, and they were running back to the sand in a blink, clutching the other’s hand and laughing like children as the waves were left behind. Percy reached the shore first, and managed to pull Jason to him just in time for the waves to crash. Unfortunately, Jason’s foot had dug too deep into the sand and he toppled over Percy, sending them both down in a tangle of limbs and grains of sand in their clothes. Percy grunted.

“ _Fuck_ , dude, your _knee_.”

Jason looked down at his leg.

_Oh._

“Sorry!”

He pulled himself up on his elbows, removing his weight from the top of Percy’s body, and being careful not to hit his goddamn _crotch_ again. The boy gave a sigh of relief in return.

“You’re a pretty heavy guy,” he observed, sitting up higher on the sand.

“Sorry,” Jason repeated.

A pause.

“Although, you’re the one who pulled me down.”

Jason was still holding himself up above him. Percy looked up with a chuckle.

_Why wasn’t Percy moving away?_

_Why wasn’t_ he _moving away?_

Percy kissed him like it was nothing, both hands cupping his face, and it was all Jason could do to keep his balance and not fall again. He closed his eyes despite the loud beating of his heart in his ears, telling himself that it was for the cousins, _obviously_ , who must have been coming back to get their stuff. Or something.

He switched his weight to one elbow and placed his other hand on Percy’s chin, turning his face slightly to the side to allow their lips to meet properly. The breeze had returned, and yet Jason couldn’t feel a hint of it. Percy was the sun itself, keeping Jason alive, the center of it all, burning his skin in the _best way_ and he never, ever wanted to let go—

The waves hit harder on the shore, reaching their feet and soaking them up to their calves in cold water. Jason gasped in surprise and pulled away. Their eyes met briefly before Jason stood up, brushing the sand off his shorts and turning around to the dying campfire. Behind him, Percy’s phone started ringing. He didn’t look back.

 

 

**Not a furry** (Frank Zhang) — _whens the essay due_

 

**No One Knows I’m A Lesbian** (Reyna Arellano) — _for mcallen’s class or khanna’s?_

 

**Not a furry** (Frank Zhang) — _khanna’s_

 

**No One Knows I’m A Lesbian** (Reyna Arellano) — _24th_

 

**Not a furry** (Frank Zhang) — _oh okay cool_

 

**Not a furry** (Frank Zhang) — _thanks rey_

 

**Heterodon’t** (Nico di Angelo) — _what about mcallen’s_

 

**No One Knows I’m A Lesbian** (Reyna Arellano) — _honestly do any of you ever write shit down_

 

**Mclesbean** (Piper McLean) — _excuse me hi yes hello_

 

**Mclesbean** (Piper McLean) — _could you please take this disgusting college-related conversation elsewhere_

 

**Mclesbean** (Piper McLean) — _this group is the Jackson & Grace Adventures group_

 

**Heterodon’t** (Nico di Angelo) — _this has been our gigantic flaming pile of literal garbage groupchat for the past two years piper_

 

**Mclesbean** (Piper McLean) — _who do u think ur kidding emo boy_

 

**Mclesbean** (Piper McLean) — _you want to know what’s going on just as badly as the rest of us_

 

**Heterodon’t** (Nico di Angelo) — _idk what youre talking about_

 

**Heterodon’t** (Nico di Angelo) — _those fuckheads are probably screwing anyway_

 

**Heterodon’t** (Nico di Angelo) — _they havent answered a single text in over a day_

 

**No One Knows I’m A Lesbian** (Reyna Arellano) — _fuck i think he’s right_

 

**I’m trans and ur gonna catch these hands** (Leo Valdez) — _i was literally gone for like an hour and yall r talking about sex without me_

 

**No One Knows I’m A Lesbian** (Reyna Arellano) — _oh god hes back_

 

**I’m trans and ur gonna catch these hands** (Leo Valdez) — _whos screwing_

 

**Mclesbean** (Piper McLean) — _percy and jason hopefully_

 

**I’m trans and ur gonna catch these hands** (Leo Valdez) — _JHKDLFHSKSJKFDL I CALLED IT_

 

**I’m trans and ur gonna catch these hands** (Leo Valdez) — _OH WAIT PERCYS ONLINE_

 

**Aquaman** (Percy Jackson) — _we’re not screwing_

 

**Aquaman** (Percy Jackson) — _i’m putting estelle to sleep and he’s upstairs i think_

 

**Mclesbean** (Piper McLean) — _( ͡°͜ʖ͡°)_

 

**Mclesbean** (Piper McLean) — _mkay_

 

**Literal Ray of Sunshine** (Hazel Levesque) — _mcallen’s essay is due on the 29th nico_

 

**Heterodon’t** (Nico di Angelo) — _thank you hazel_

 

**Heterodon’t** (Nico di Angelo) — _youre the only one that i truly love here_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments fuel more writing and make my nose less oily  
> (PLEASE don't comment asking me when I'm updating, because I do not know and I have exams to prepare for. I really don't want my writing to ever become a chore)


	9. Days Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> angst???????????

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *strums guitar* this next song is called I Love Every Single One Of You For Reading And Leaving Kudos And Commenting, I’m So Blessed

A car honk from somewhere below Percy’s balcony made Jason jerk awake eons sooner than he would have wanted to. Thankfully, his leg hadn’t hit Percy, who continued to breathe heavily and peacefully behind him. Jason sighed and removed the covers from his torso, sitting up on the edge of the mattress. He looked back at his friend.

If their little moment at the beach had been a havoc of emotions, it was nothing compared to the atmosphere that lasted through the rest of the evening. They had awkwardly danced around the subject until it was past one in the morning, and Jason had ended up pretending to fall asleep while Percy was still in the bathroom. They had woken up exactly as they had gone to sleep— back to back.

Another car honk. This time, excited shrieks suddenly came from the hallway, immediately followed by a _thump thump thump_ down the wooden stairs. The mental image of little Estelle in her pink giraffe pyjamas, running barefoot to greet her family members down by the garage, was enough to make Jason crack a smile despite his earlier thoughts. He stood up as quietly as possible and walked to the bathroom, quickly getting changed and brushing his teeth before heading downstairs, Percy’s sighs still steady behind him when he closed the bedroom door.

Sally introduced him to the multitude of people who had just arrived as _‘Percy’s boyfriend’_ , and once again, Jason wanted to hit himself in the face.

Repeatedly.

Sally Jackson was easily the most wonderful woman Jason had ever met; the last thing she deserved was her own son and his— _whatever_ Jason’s title was— lying to her on a daily basis.

But he smiled.

And nodded.

And shook hands and hugged and waved hellos and gave his shaky Portuguese greetings awkward attempts.

Out of the seven new arrivals, two were girls who seemed to be more or less his age. Jason had already forgotten both of their names by the time he walked back up to the first floor and to Percy’s bedroom, looking for his phone.

“Jason?”

He turned around before he could reach the door. The tallest of the two girls was walking up the stairs, what Jason guessed were the keys to her car dangling from her fingers. Her hair was a dark blonde, tied up on the top of her head with a blue ribbon. She gave him a large smile, and followed it with a seemingly endless sentence in Portuguese.

_Oh well. So much for hoping she was from Paul’s side of the family._

Jason didn’t want to cut her off, so he waited awkwardly, walking back slowly towards Percy’s door. She ended her sentence in a questioning tone, and Jason was ready to gesture his way through an explanation.

“Um, I don’t—”

The door to Percy’s bedroom opened behind Jason, almost sending him flying backwards to land on his ass. Percy was only wearing sweatpants, his eyes small and marked by sleep. He swept a hand through his hair, but only managed to make his black curls more chaotic.

“Hey babe,” he grinned at Jason, as if nothing out of the ordinary had ever happened between them. “You can use the bathroom now, if you want.”

Jason understood he was being offered a way out, and quickly nodded with a hesitant smile, deciding a peck to Percy’s cheek as he walked past him would do their credibility some good. Right before he entered the bathroom, he saw Percy greeting the girl— _Marcela_ , he had called her— with warm smiles and a hug.

He locked the door behind him and sighed, a shirtless Percy the only thing he could picture. He passed both hands under cold water and let it wash over his face.

_God, why had he ever accepted to come here?_

 

 

 _“_ And then you need to open the dough.”

Jason watched Farrah’s movement, awkwardly holding his hands up so he wouldn’t get wet flour all over her notes for the recipe. His fingers sticked together uncomfortably. André chuckled next to him, handing him a paper towel.

“Should I just use my hands?”

Farrah nodded, using the back of her hand to push back the fabric of her hijab.

“Yeah, it’s fine, don’t worry about using the rolling pin and stuff. You just gotta make sure they’re not too thick and that the sides are even.”

Jason continued to work, handing over the little circles of dough to André as soon as he felt like they were somewhat circular. Farrah walked back and forth between their table and the oven, where the first batch of _esfihas_ was already baking.

Percy stood back in the hallway, quietly leaning against the nearest wall and watching the cooking process. Jason hadn’t seen him, and he couldn’t help but think that it was better this way. They hadn’t had a proper conversation all day— between his visiting family that kept coming and going from their house to the hotel, Estelle that had kept him busy all afternoon, and the countless chores to make sure everything was ready for New Year’s Eve, Percy hadn’t stopped once to sit down, let alone have a profound conversation about his feelings with his best-friend-and-pretend-or-maybe-even-real-boyfriend.

He blinked. Where had _real boyfriend_ come from in that mess of a trail of thought?

“Hey.”

He jumped, a hand instinctively going to his chest. He glared at his cousin.

“For fuck’s sake, Lara, can you _not?_ ”

The sixteen-year-old snickered, a hand on her hip. Right then, with her dark hair up in a loose bun and her oversized Sex Pistols t-shirt almost covering her pyjama shorts, she looked strangely older and more confident. Percy guessed she felt in her element.

“Your accent changed.”

Percy frowned. “What?”

“I didn’t notice it as much when we were talking in English, but I do now. You lost that drag on your _r_ and _s_.”

“Don’t tell me I sound like a gringo.”

Lara grimaced. “Maybe not a _gringo_ , but way more Southern.”

“That’s _even worse!_ ”

“Okay,” she held a hand up to interrupt him. “That’s not why I’m here.”

Her eyes went to Jason across the room, and Percy’s followed. He was laughing at something tia Sofia had said while walking back inside with Sally and Julia. He had a trail of flour across his cheek.

He looked _adorable_.

“You’re absolutely ridiculous.”

Percy struggled to take his eyes off of Jason. Lara’s eyebrow was raised, and her arms crossed.

“Why?”

“You’re literally grinning to yourself right this second.”

Percy made a conscious effort to drop his smile.

He only sort of succeeded.

“Stop being stupid and date this boy already.”

“But I’m not—”

“Oh you’re _not_ in love with him?” Lara asked, louder than she had to.

“Lower your voice, Lara!” Percy hissed, pulling her further from the kitchen and into the hallway. Lara only had a second to remind him that _“Jason doesn’t speak Portuguese you dumbass”_ before he opened the door to the nearest guest bedroom and closed it behind them.

“Okay,” he started, hands still on the door handle against his back. “Let’s say that maybe— just _maybe_ — I do have feelings for Jason.”

Lara made herself comfortable on the bed, crossing her legs and giving her cousin a smug smile.

“Yeah, sure. _Maybe_. An unlikely hypothesis.”

Percy sighed and closed his eyes, dropping his head back against the door. Lara’s expression softened at what Percy guessed was his obvious emotional despair. She sat in silence for a moment, running her hands over the white folded sheets, and the sound was surprisingly soothing to his ears. He was the first to speak again.

“What do I do about it?”

The smile Lara gave him was the most honest and sympathetic he had ever seen from her. She stood up and tackled him into a bear hug, even though the top of her head only barely reached the line of his shoulders.

“You _tell him_.”

 

 

On the 29th, Percy made his way downstairs after dodging even more Jacksons and Blofises around all floors of the house. Jason and Lara sat behind the counter with mugs of black coffee— it had sort of become their morning ritual, Percy had noticed. They both greeted him with a head nod and a smile.

“How is your family so big?” he heard Jason ask. Lara shrugged and took a sip of her coffee.

“Eh, it’s not _that_ big.”

“Lara, you have a good fifty people coming over.”

“Sixty-seven, actually. Like I said, not that big.”

Percy closed the fridge after grabbing a yogurt and sat down in front of Jason.

“Wanna play Twister?”

Jason’s eyes brightened.

“ _Hell yeah_.”

After Jason washed his dishes and headed upstairs to join André, Julia, Valeria and Elias in Lara’s room, Percy tried to go after him. Lara took a step to the side and blocked his path.

“Did you talk to him?”

Percy sighed and stepped to the left, but Lara followed his movement. His glare only got him a raised eyebrow.

“No, not yet.”

“You should.”

“I know.”

“Go right now.”

“In a _second_ ,” Percy insisted, gently putting his hands on her shoulders and moving her out of the way.

He could still hear her teasing _‘you won’t do itttt’_ while he walked up the stairs.

 

 

“Left hand on red,” André called.

A shuffle followed, all the cousins trying not to step over each other while reaching over to the red circles on the mat. Julia grunted.

“That’s my _foot_.”

“Sorry!” Elias exclaimed from somewhere above Jason’s head. He would have chuckled if he didn’t feel like he was one breath away from falling on top of Percy, nearly laying down below him. His eyes glanced at the red spots on his right. There was no way Percy could reach them without having to lift his torso, and Jason was very obviously in the way.

They shared an awkward smile.

“Sorry,” Jason breathed and did his best to make some distance between them.

“Jason, your right foot is not on yellow,” André called in a sing-song voice, sounding much too pleased with himself.

Jason repositioned his foot.

Percy’s left hand reached red.

Their torsos touched to the point where their stomachs were completely flattened against one another. Jason’s hands were on each side of Percy’s head now, and the dark-haired boy looked ready to fall at any moment.

“Sorry,” Jason repeated. Percy swallowed.

“It’s fine.”

Valeria and André argued behind them, but Jason could barely hear a thing. Percy had moved to follow André’s latest order, right foot on blue, and his hips raised higher.

Jason’s breath hitched.

_Oh no._

_Oh no no no._

“You okay?” Percy frowned.

_I’m fighting a raging hard-on while hovering over my best friend who I’ve been ridiculously in love with for the past year._

_I have never been okay in my life._

“Yeah,” Jason said in a breath.

You know, like a liar.

“Elias, fuck off,” Lara said on his left. “You’re gonna make me fall.”

“Well if your leg wasn’t in the _way_ , maybe you _wouldn’t_ ,” her brother replied.

Their issue was solved when Julia slipped above the youngest cousin, and he fell on top of _everyone_ , effectively sending Jason flying and making the top of his head smack Percy’s jaw.

_Well that’s one way to get rid of that problem._

“Ow,” Percy declared.

Jason agreed. He stood up and rushed to the bathroom, taking advantage of the chaos overtaking Lara’s bedroom to go splash some cold water on his face. The board had ended up on top of André’s head, and he had a pretty bad bruise on his elbow. He sighed from his spot on the wooden floor.

“Twister is cancelled.”

 

 

The next day, lunch began on a sour note. Estelle had spent a good portion of the late morning arguing with her cousin Milo about something Jason didn’t catch, although it seemed upsetting enough for the little four-year-old to pout all through the meal.

“Do you know what’s up with her?” Jason leaned over to ask Lara. She shrugged.

“Milo and Estelle always argue, it’s nothing new. She’ll be over it by tomorrow.”

After a whole afternoon playing and even tia Sofia’s home-cooked dinner failed to make the little girl’s bubbly energy return, Percy took her under his brotherly wing and headed upstairs with her to watch cartoons in her bedroom. Jason’s night was pretty uneventful until around eleven, when a knock to Percy’s door made him drop his pen and look up from his Econ notes.

“Hey,” Elias called, his head poking through the doorframe.

“Hey,” Jason turned his chair to face him. Elias glanced at his mess of papers on Percy’s desk.

“Oh, sorry! Are you busy? I can come back some other time.”

“No, no, it’s fine! I’m just making some flash cards.”

Elias nodded. A small pause.

“What’s up?”

Elias closed the door behind him and sat on Percy’s bed.

“How did you know you liked him?”

Jason blinked.

“You mean Percy? Like, for the first time?”

Elias nodded. His curls were far longer than Percy’s or André’s, and Jason had only recently noticed he kept a hair tie around his bony wrist. Sitting there timidly in a bed far too large for him, Jason couldn’t help but think he looked younger and more fragile.

“And don’t give me the old _‘we’re pretending to date and I don’t actually like him’_ excuse. I’m not blind.”

Despite himself, Jason chuckled.

“Okay,” he decided. “Fine. I _do_ like him.”

Elias fist pumped the air, and only looked _slightly_ sorry when he gave a rushed apology.

“Proceed.”

Jason left his chair to sit next to Elias on the bed. They shared a smile, and the awkwardness of the conversation diminished.

“The first time I remember being like ‘ _woah, he’s cute’_ was about a year ago, maybe a bit more. He was just fucking around and being an idiot, you know.”

Elias nodded. “I know.”

“And he put his hand on my shoulder or something and I just _froze—_ ”

Elias’ eyes widened. He nodded again, faster this time. Jason chuckled.

“Did that happen to you?”

Elias gave up on the fight against his hair, reaching for the tie on his arm and pulling his curls into a bun on the nape of his neck. Jason was struck by his resemblance to Lara.

“Kind of. I was hanging out with Vini and he was teasing me about something, and he put a hand on my knee and I jumped so suddenly he got scared he had hurt me.”

Jason smiled fondly. “You really like this kid, huh?”

Elias hesitated a bit, before nodding slowly.

“Yeah.”

Jason put a hand around his shoulders.

“Honestly, I’ve only seen him for two minutes on the beach, but I can tell you right now that he likes you too.”

Jason had never seen someone’s face light up so fast.

“You think so?”

Jason made a face. When he spoke, his voice was a squeaky attempt at imitating Elias’s tone and accent.

“ _I’m not blind_.”

Elias shoved his elbow into Jason’s side, and they fell back laughing.

“Asshole.”

Once their laughter died down, Elias put his hand on Jason’s arm in a more serious manner.

“I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, but I can’t stand you and Percy dancing around each other anymore.”

Jason sat up again, alarmed.

“What?”

“Lara talked to him yesterday, and he confessed his cheesy feelings.”

Jason blinked. Stared.

“Wait, _what?_ ” he repeated. Elias sighed.

“You guys are so stupid. You’re lucky you have my sisters and I to be matchmakers here.”

Jason felt his chest getting warm.

_Don’t get your hopes up, don’t get your hopes up, don’t—_

“Percy likes you.”

Jason’s mind was a blank. He shook his head.

“There’s no way—”

“He told Lara yesterday, after he saw you preparing dinner with Farrah and he was all heart-eye emoji at you for the rest of the night. Honestly, how can you not see it? It baffles me—”

“Wait wait wait,” Jason raised a hand. “What did he tell Lara _exactly_?”

Elias was smirking, Jason could tell, but his heart was beating too fast for him to worry about Elias’ teasing. He repeated his question.

“He said he had feelings for you, and asked her for advice. She told him to tell you, but he’s still freaking out. Cue my intervention right here, to get one of you two dumbasses to _talk_ to each other.”

“He doesn’t know I like him back?”

“No. And I won’t tell him if you don’t want me to.”

“No, I— I can do it. I’ll do it,” Jason repeated, standing up. Elias followed.

“Woah, big guy, wait a second,” he said, hands on his shoulders pushing him to sit back down. Jason waited.

“You gotta be careful.”

He nodded.

“Don’t do anything rash.”

And nodded.

“Remember your friendship comes before anything else.”

And nodded and nodded and nodded.

“Yeah, I know.”

Then, as if nothing had happened, Elias’ grin returned. He clasped Jason’s shoulders one last time.

“Go ahead then! Go get your man!”

Jason laughed like a child and closed the door behind them, leaving Elias behind for the stairs and rushing to the ground floor.

 

The last thing Jason expected was to find Julia sitting alone in the kitchen, looking deadly worried.

“Hey, is everything okay?” he asked as he approached. She nodded slowly.

“Yeah, it’s fine.”

A silence. Jason didn’t feel like he knew her well enough to push the issue. He resorted to awkwardly standing off to the side, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

“Do you know where Percy is?”

Her expression turned sour. “Tia Sally is talking to him. You should wait upstairs.”

Jason’s confusion must have shown on his face. He thought about asking more questions, but if Julia’s frown was anything to go by, she wasn’t about to give him any more details.

He nodded. “Okay, just— if you see him, could you please tell him I need to talk to him?”

Julia gave some sort of mumbled agreement, and he walked back up the stairs quietly, the wood creaking beneath his weight.

 

Jason didn’t know when he had fallen asleep, but he woke up in the middle of the night to someone opening the bedroom door. His back was turned and he didn’t move, feeling relieved and at peace when the mattress dipped familiarly under Percy’s body, his hand reaching over to grab the covers and pull them over him.

He was a second away from falling asleep again when he heard the sobbing.

Jason immediately turned over and reached for him, too worried to waste time thinking about what Elias had told him and the turn their friendship could take. As soon as he put a hand on Percy’s shoulder, his friend turned to face him and buried his head against Jason’s chest.

“Hey,” Jason whispered gently. He didn’t know what to do to help. He had never seen Percy cry this way before. His sobs became more heartbreaking second by second.

“Hey,” he tried again. “It’s okay.”

Percy was hugging him so tightly his ribs ached, but he could barely process the pain. Jason lifted his hands to cup his face and kissed the top of his head.

“It’s okay.”

Percy’s hands were balled into fists as he clung to the back of Jason’s t-shirt. He didn’t pull away to look at Jason when he asked him to. His voice came broken and low.

“I can’t.”

The bedroom was almost completely dark, but Jason’s eyes were slowly adapting to the blue halo coming from the beach and dimly illuminating Percy’s skin.

“Percy, sweetheart, look at me. Can you look at me? Please?” Jason tried again, thumbs softly running over his wet cheeks. He slowly pulled back to bring them nose to nose. Percy let him. His eyes were red and his mouth was pulled into a thin line and the trembling of his chin was a shaky warning that his tears were ready to start falling again.

Jason’s hands never left the back of his neck. They were close enough to feel each other’s breathing on their lips.

“What’s wrong?” Jason whispered. Percy took a shaky breath and opened his mouth to speak, but stopped himself. He shook his head.

“You don’t want to talk about it?”

Percy sniffed. “No.”

Jason nodded, dropping a kiss to Percy’s forehead. “It’s okay. It’s okay, it’s fine.”

Percy returned to the warmth of Jason’s arms, holding him close until his face was buried in his neck and his tears dropped on his collarbone. Jason shushed him softly and held him through it, until his breathing evened out and his grip on Jason’s skin softened significantly.

Only then did Jason close his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> until we yeet again.........


	10. Days Fourteen and Fifteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> emotional chaos with a happy ending because im a cliche motherfucker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i needed to update fast because i need to study but also because i really REALLY wanted to finish this fic for all of u lovely people who have been following me since chapter one  
> end notes are gonna be emo so be prepared  
> ENJOY

Jason didn’t sleep well that night.

He spent the slim hours between Percy’s return and the first few rays of sunlight opening and closing his eyes, taking deep breaths, trying to shut out his endless thoughts, failing miserably, thinking about Percy. Over and over and over again.

He was always thinking about Percy in some way or another.

His friend was still clinging to his chest and Jason could feel drool on his shoulder, but he refused to move and risk waking him up. After his tears the night before, Percy had passed out and fallen asleep so deeply he hadn’t moved from Jason’s arms _once_. From his years being his roommate, Jason knew it was a first.

He kissed the top of his head, the way he had done the previous night, but didn’t dare leaving the bed.

What could have very well been seconds or hours later— Jason had lost all notion of time— Percy grunted and opened his eyes. Jason gave him a fond smile and played with his hair.

“Hey.”

Percy blinked and wiped at the corner of his mouth, a tinge of pink on his cheeks blossoming at the embarrassment. Jason chuckled.

“Sorry.”

His voice was still hoarse. Jason put a hand on the side of his face.

“It’s okay.”

They remained silent for a moment. Percy had backed away slightly, and they stared at each other in the dim light of the awakening city.

Percy was the first to break it off, reaching for Jason’s hand before he spoke.

“My dad is in the state.”

The words hit Jason like a ton of bricks. Percy hadn’t even come close to _mentioning_ his dad the vast majority of the times they talked about their fucked up family situations. He didn’t want to interrupt now that Percy had started talking, so he waited, examining his face as he spoke. Percy used both hands to fidget with the tip of Jason’s fingers, and the action was so child-like that Jason felt a strong urge to hug him again. He didn’t.

“He wants to see me. He called my mom yesterday night and asked for me, but she said no,” he explained, his voice somewhat less shaky. Jason let him intertwine their fingers over his chest.

“He said he wanted to meet you?” Jason asked carefully, his voice gentle and low. Percy nodded and they remained silent for a few more seconds. Jason caught the last of his tears with the pad of his free thumb.

“Would you go with me?” Percy finally asked, eyes looking into Jason’s hesitantly. He nodded firmly.

“Absolutely.”

Percy gave him the first hint of a smile, and it was enough to make Jason say what he was really thinking.

“I’d go anywhere with you.”

Percy closed the distance between them with a chaste kiss to Jason’s lips. When he pulled back, a proper smile had appeared on his face. He squeezed Jason’s hand.

“Okay, I’m gonna go for a shower.”

Jason nodded and watched him slip out of the covers, his hand still warm from Percy’s palm against his.

 

Half an hour later, they had both had a quick breakfast and found themselves in the garage saying goodbye to Sally.

“You’ll be careful, right?” she asked Jason, pulling him down into a hug. “Make sure my kid doesn’t do anything too stupid?”

Jason nodded. “I promise.”

Sally gave her son one last kiss to the cheek. “Call me from time to time, okay?”

Percy nodded and kissed her forehead. “ _Te amo._ ”

“ _Também te amo, lindo._ ”

Jason sat behind the steering wheel and looked at Percy as he closed the passenger door. They both sighed in similar fashion.

“So where are we going?”

“Oh yeah,” Percy exclaimed, fumbling with his seatbelt before reaching into his wallet. He looked a lot better than he did earlier, although his eyes were still alert with what Jason guessed was, understandably, worry and apprehension.

He handed him a green post-it with an address scribbled in black ink. He didn’t recognize the handwriting, so he assumed it was Sally’s. He typed it into the GPS’s location search, and it calculated a five-hour route to a small city at the opposite end of the state, way far West.

They remained considerably quiet until they reached the highway, when Percy grabbed his phone.

“Can I pick the music?”

“Of course.”

He settled for a playlist Nico had sent to their group chat a few weeks before, and most of it was soothing melodies and low voices. Jason didn’t mind.

For the first hour, they were both very quiet. Percy kept his eyes closed but he wasn’t asleep, Jason could tell by his breathing.

_Yeah, because that’s not creepy at all, Grace._

 

Hour 2 was already better. They switched from the playlist to Percy’s songs playing on random, and the intro to Gorillaz’ _Andromeda_ began to play again. Jason gave Percy a smile.

“ _When the passing looks to die for…_ ”

Percy didn’t react. Jason continued.

_“Take it in your heart now, lover.”_

A hint of a smile appeared on Percy’s face again. He looked ready to break into song and Jason knew it. He kept going, his grin now smug.

 _“When the case is out and tired and sodden… take it in your heart… take it in your heart._ ”

Percy moved in his seat.

“ _Back to when it was cool, 'cause there's no substitute… who even knows the truth? The truth, the truth…”_

Percy broke. The chorus had him moving his head along with Jason’s to the rhythm. Jason laughed.

“I _knew it!_ ”

Percy grinned, cheeks red. “Shut up.”

The chorus faded into the second verse, and Percy melted back against his seat.

“You really are _shit_ at roller skating.”

Jason snorted.

“And here I was, thinking you were a patient and understanding teacher.”

“I lied to make you feel better,” Percy teased, smirking. “You’re terrible.”

Jason shrugged. “I know.”

“I mean, still better than the time Piper attempted skateboarding.”

“Oh, _god,”_ Jason grinned at the memory. They had been stuck on campus and bored on a rainy morning in March, so Percy had taken Jason and Piper to a closed part of the skatepark, under the rusty tin roof of the nearby library.

Piper left in an ambulance and needed stitches for her brow.

“Speaking of which,” Percy said, sitting up and grabbing his phone again, “we should text them, it’s been a while.”

Not even a full minute after Percy texted their friends explaining what was going on, his phone rang. Jason grimaced.

“ _Get Ur Freak On?_ Really?”

“It’s Piper, I needed something fitting,” Percy shrugged, hitting the green button. “‘Sup?”

“What the ever-loving fuck do you mean, _‘sup?_ ” Piper’s voice came robotic from the call. “You’re driving for five hours on New Year’s Eve to some tiny city to find your long-lost dad?”

Percy nodded and turned the camera to Jason. Eyes still on the road, he nodded. “Yup.”

“Why am I not with you?” she demanded.

“Because Sally Jackson has known you and Annabeth forever and she never would’ve bought it if you pretended to date Percy.”

A beat.

“Fair enough. Keep me updated! Don’t die.”

It had sort of become the group’s way to say goodbye, the whole ‘ _don’t die’_ thing. It left many strangers and acquaintances confused, but Percy and Jason just replied with the same thing. Percy hung up with a laugh.

“Nico is freaking out.”

Jason chuckled. “I’m surprised Leo hasn’t said anything yet.”

Percy was silent for a few seconds. When he spoke, his voice was hesitant.

“He has.”

Jason glanced at his best friend before returning his stare to the road.

“What did he say?”

“Told me to kiss you.”

Jason felt the atmosphere in the car changing suddenly.

He took a breath.

“Well he’s kind of late for that one.”

His heart only fluttered _slightly_ when they shared a look and he saw Percy blushing, a bashful and totally not adorable smile on his face.

 

On the third hour, Percy volunteered to drive. Jason got settled against the door and closed his eyes with a sigh.

 

When Jason woke up, the sun was higher in the sky. They weren’t on the highway anymore : the neighborhood was filled with houses resembling the Jacksons’, large and full of people and noise.

He checked the time. _12:51._

“You drove the whole rest of the way?”

Percy smiled at him, but Jason saw right through it. He was scared shitless.

“You were sleeping, I didn’t want to wake you.”

Jason pushed Sally’s blanket off of his lap and stretched his arms out in front of him. “You could have.”

Percy tsked. “No, it’s fine. Driving calms me down.”

A pause.

“Are you doing okay?”

Percy shrugged. “We’re two blocks away.”

“Boy does that _not_ answer my question.”

Percy sighed, hands stilling over the wheel as the light turned red in front of them.

“I have no idea what this is gonna be about. For all I know, my father is a disgusting excuse for a human being who has no regrets of leaving mom and I behind.”

Jason waited to see if Percy had more to say. The dark-haired boy swallowed, and Jason watched his Adam’s apple move.

“But it’s gonna be okay.”

He turned to Jason.

“Because you’re with me.”

And _god fucking damn it_ , if the light hadn’t turned green and Percy didn’t have to go back to driving, Jason would have kissed the life out of him.

 

The house corresponding to the address Jason had typed into their GPS was a small suburban thing that seemed typical of an American family from the 60s— _completely_ out of place in the neighborhood. It was two stories tall and painted a soft blue, very close to white, but the structure was narrow and visibly old and Jason couldn’t imagine more than two or three people living comfortably in it.

Percy parked out front. As soon as they were out of the car and standing side by side, he reached for Jason’s hand.

“Stay with me?”

Jason hated the way Percy’s voice was fragile and hesitant and bordered on scared. For a second, he felt a vivid flash of anger at whoever lived in this house— Percy had never even _seen_ him. He had had to grow up without a father until he was fourteen years old and Paul came along. Sally had had to raise him on her own, paycheck by paycheck, working small jobs and suffering through an abusive marriage, all for her son.

And now that everything was over, now that Percy and Sally had their lives built back, now that the Jacksons knew love and happiness and were united and at peace— _now_ the asshole wanted to meet him?

_Fuck this. Fuck all of this._

“Of course. I’m right here.”

They walked up the three wooden steps to the porch. There was a half-circle of seashells decorating the front door. The mat under their feet read _‘Home is where the sea is_ ’.

Percy rang the doorbell.

The man who greeted them was _surprising_ to say the least.

He was tall, taller than Jason, and looked something like a character out of a comic book. An orange and green Hawaiian shirt and white beach shorts contrasted against his dark skin, maybe a few shades darker than Percy’s. He was ruggedly handsome— his jaw was square and covered by a well-kept black beard. His feet were bare. The only trait that could indicate his older age was the presence of lines at the corner of his eyes, suggesting that his youth had been filled with smiles and laughter.

Percy was an exact copy of him, if only twenty years younger.

“Dad?”

His friend’s voice came in a whisper. His fingers around Jason’s had relaxed, but he didn’t let go.

The man smiled. It was genuinely kind and warm and Jason couldn’t help but be reminded of Sally Jackson.

“Hello, son.”

 

They learned a lot about Percy’s father over the course of lunch.

Poseidon owned a successful fishing company on the Northern coast of Brazil back in the early 1990s, when he met Sally in Natal during a city festival. They spent a year together, and were engaged by the time the company went to ruin. He was forced to return to his native Greece, but Sally refused to leave her family behind.

“Her uncle was sick,” Percy said, more to himself than anyone else. By his tone, Jason could tell he was putting the pieces of his history together. His father nodded and continued.

He told them he had returned early that very summer to try to find Sally after twenty years of being apart, hanging on to the desperate hope that they could be together again, only to find out that her life had long been rebuilt.

He had no idea he even _had_ a son.

Even then, sitting on the couch of a man who he was supposed to have called ‘dad’ his entire life, Percy refused to let go of Jason’s hand. He listened to Poseidon in silence, only nodding from time to time and giving timid smiles when he said something particularly heartfelt about Sally.

Jason managed to stay out of the conversation for about an hour, until Poseidon seemed to realize for the first time that his son didn’t come alone.

“And you must be a friend of Percy’s, I’m guessing?” he smiled, holding a hand out for Jason to shake.

Jason did.

Percy answered for him.

“He’s my best friend who’s pretending to be my boyfriend so I can piss off my cousins.”

Jason decided he sort of liked him when Poseidon just about died laughing.

 

They only decided to return home after several hours had passed. Jason spent most of his time off to the side, satisfied with his role as spectator and moral support. When they found themselves standing on the front porch again, Poseidon fished something from the pocket of his shorts and handed it to his son.

“I got this from my mother before she died. I wanted to give it to you.”

The thin chain carried a bronze medal, where a trident was carved with the initials _C.R._ between the prongs.

“Keep it safe.”

Jason averted his eyes when they hugged, not wanting to invade their newfound privacy.

“You too, Jason, come on.”

Percy’s father caught him by the arm and pulled him into a hug so suddenly that Jason was pretty sure he forgot to hug him back.

“Be careful on the road, okay?”

Jason nodded, walking down the steps with Percy by his side. “We will. Thank you.”

By the time Jason was sitting behind the wheel and pulling out of Poseidon’s driveway, he was certain he had just lived through the weirdest hours of his existence.

“Did you tell your mom we’re going home?” Jason asked when they turned a corner and Poseidon’s house disappeared from the rearview mirror. Percy nodded.

“I texted her.”

A pause.

“I can’t thank you enough, Jason.”

He didn’t know what to reply to that. He didn’t.

Percy was clearly in no shape to drive, so Jason remained in his seat for all five hours home. He pretended not to see Percy’s silent tears, or the way he clutched the medal like a lifeline around his neck. When he looked back at him a few minutes after they reached the highway again, he was already asleep, legs tucked up against his chest on the passenger seat.

 

“Percy.”

Jason put a gentle hand on his knee and slowly shook it.

“Hey.”

Percy opened his eyes with a grunt.

“We’re here.”

They stepped out of the car and into the darkness of the garden. There were only two hours left until the New Year, and it showed. The whole neighborhood was alive with music and loud voices and laughter and cheers.

Mrs. O’Leary was the first to reach them, running erratically to the gate and jumping on Percy’s legs. He laughed, and Jason was eternally grateful.

“Hey girl, missed me?”

The cousins came down to meet them as soon as they left the garage, Sally ahead of them all. She was wearing a beautiful white dress and her hair had been braided up in an elaborate knot and Jason had never seen her look so relieved as she did when her eyes landed on Percy.

She hugged her son so fiercely Jason wondered if she would ever let go again.

And then _he_ was pulled into the embrace.

“ _Obrigada, amor._ ”

 

The family had done a fantastic job with the decoration.

The outdoor kitchen was illuminated with small lanterns, blue and pink and yellow and green, attached to a string that ran above their heads all the way to the house. Everyone was dressed in white, and Jason remembered Percy’s explanations two weeks prior, when they were still packing their bags.

“We wear white clothes to symbolise purification and spiritual peace,” Percy had said. “The tradition comes from African tribes who were brought here during the slave trade.”

“What about the yellow and red?”

“Something yellow for money, something red for love.”

Jason looked down at the red bracelet he had tied around his wrist.

God, it felt like a _lifetime_ ago.

They sat with all the cousins, Alice, and Farrah around one of the three smaller tables that had been set up in the garden, a few feet away from the pool. The house was ridiculously crowded, as Jason had been warned it would be, but it was far from obnoxious. Someone had turned on the bluetooth speakers system and a soft forró played as background to their conversations.

Percy found Jason’s hand under the table.

They grinned at each other.

“How’s the food?” Percy asked, his voice low, only for him, and Jason found it strangely endearing how in the middle of all his relatives, Percy still found time to make sure Jason was as comfortable as can be.

“Do you even need to ask?” Jason grinned. “It’s fantastic, as always.”

Percy gave their intertwined fingers a squeeze, and right then, in the middle of a perfect meal with the best company he could ask for, Jason just _knew_ they would be okay in the end.

 

Everyone stared up at the sky as the countdown began. Percy got on his tiptoes and kissed Jason as the clock struck midnight, and Jason would be lying if he said it didn’t feel _a_ _little bit real_.

 

“You look like something out of a teen romcom over there.”

Jason turned around. Percy was pushing open the glass door to his balcony and stepping outside, his grin still wild, eyes gleaming with celebration and a tinge of rum.

Jason rolled his eyes. Percy joined him by the railing.

“What? It’s true. You look all handsome and emo, staring dreamily at the late fireworks in the distance.”

This time, Jason chuckled. “Just thinking.”

“Hm? About what?”

“Stuff.”

Percy nodded. “Neat.”

A beat. Jason swallowed down the anxiety in his chest.

“You know how my cousins said they were just _‘going for a walk around the beach_ ’?”

Jason made a noise in agreement.

“They were _definitely_ up to something, right?”

“Definitely.”

They shared a laugh. Jason’s skin prickled where his forearm met Percy’s on the wooden balustrade.

Percy took a deep breath.

“I wanted to tell you something.”

Jason was pretty sure his heart had stopped beating. “Yeah?”

“Remember back in November, for Thanksgiving? Everything I told you about when I was here and André and Julia were being assholes?”

Jason nodded. “What about it?”

Percy ran a hand through his hair nervously.

“I didn’t exactly tell them I was dating some random guy from college.”

Jason stared, confused to say the least.

“I said I was dating _Jason Grace_.”

Percy refused to look at him in the eyes and his cheeks burned red and _god Jason really was completely and utterly in love with him wasn’t he—_

“How did you know I would say yes to coming here?”

Jason’s throat was dry and his heart was hammering in his chest and he had never, _ever_ , felt so alive—

“I didn’t, I honestly hadn’t even _thought_ about the whole fake dating thing yet, I just— I thought of you first.”

The end of his sentence trailed off as his voice grew quieter. Jason was grinning by then, eyes locked on the line of the horizon.

“Any particular reason for that?”

Percy nudged his ribs with his elbow, and Jason succumbed to laughter.

“Asshole.”

Before he could think twice, he cupped Percy’s face and pulled him into a kiss. Percy immediately melted against him, hands covering Jason’s and stepping closer to him, until Percy was all Jason knew.

_They were kissing. They were actually kissing. For real._

When they pulled away, Jason felt like someone had knocked the breath out of him. And they grinned and grinned and grinned at each other.

“No pretend this time?” Percy asked, his voice the softest Jason had ever heard.

 _Never mind,_ he told Jason-from-two-minutes-ago, _this is the most alive you’ve ever felt._

“No pretend.”

Percy pulled him close again, their kiss significantly slower than the first.

The magic was broken as soon as they heard cheers from below them. The flash of a picture blinded them before they could pull away from each other.

And even in the darkness, Jason could tell the kids standing in the street below were _definitely_ Lara, Valeria, André and Julia and—

Elias was holding hands with Vini. They were covered in sand from head to toe, out of breath like they had been running the whole way back home, their smiles ridiculously wide with happiness. Jason wondered if that’s what _he_ looked like too, now that his fingers were intertwined with Percy’s.

“What the fuck are you guys even doing with these? You’re gonna get arrested!”

Percy’s words confused Jason until he noticed the street signs in the kids’ arms.

“Did you seriously just go around stealing these from around the block?”

Lara tsked. “ _No!_ Of course not! We wouldn’t take these from around the _block_ , do you think we’re stupid?”

“We went all the way down to the beach!” André helpfully specified.

“For what?”

“We’re gonna decorate our bedrooms!”

Jason shook his head, but couldn’t stop his laughter. He turned to Percy, who looked like he was about to tell them off, but instead he just sighed.

“Is there one for me?”

They all cheered and raised a speed limit sign for him to grab from the balustrade.

 

 

Jason had never slept better.

Their usual alarm rang at half past eight and Percy shut it off to sleep some more, returning to Jason’s arms until ten.

“Perce.”

The boy opened his eyes slowly.

“Come on, the house is a mess from yesterday, we should help out.”

He closed his eyes and grunted as a no. Jason sighed.

“If you want to be lazy in bed, can you at least brush your teeth so I can kiss you?”

For all the time Jason had been Percy’s roommate, he had never seen him get out of bed so quickly.

He laughed.

“God, is that really all the motivation you needed?”

He heard Percy spitting out toothpaste into the sink. His voice came muffled by his toothbrush. “Don’t judge me, you’re a really good kisser.”

Jason knew he was red by the way Percy grinned at him when he returned to bed. “Look at you, all flustered and adorable.”

Jason pulled him down and kissed him as a response. “Morning.”

Percy nudged their noses together. “Morning.”

“Elias sent me the picture he took of us yesterday.”

Percy raised an eyebrow, amused. “Are we cute?”

“Of course we’re cute.”

Percy got settled on the mattress next to him, their legs intertwined chaotically under the covers. Jason reached for his phone and turned the screen to him.

The angle of the picture was slightly awkward, as Elias had been standing under the balcony, but they were _definitely_ cute.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

Percy’s tone was mischievous. Jason smirked.

“Group chat?”

“ _God_ , I’m so glad you like me back.”

Jason laughed and opened the chat before dropping the picture, unprompted, in the middle of Leo and Annabeth’s discussion about some weird engineering shit.

They had about ten seconds of peace and quiet before both of their phones started blowing up.

He turned to Percy. “What now?”

His boyfriend— _boyfriend!—_ dropped a kiss right under his ear. Jason shivered despite himself.

“Honestly, we should just leave them hanging.”

“You chaos-loving motherfucker.”

“That’s me.”

Jason turned to face him, making a considerable effort not to kiss him when he realized Percy was staring at his lips.

“We really should go see if your mom needs help.”

Percy sighed and moved closer, burying his face in Jason’s chest.

“Let’s stay here a little more,” Percy mumbled. “We have time.”

Jason wrapped his arms around him and sighed peacefully. He couldn’t agree more.

 

 

 **YOUR president** (Annabeth Chase) — _are you done with the programming_

 

 **I’m trans and ur gonna catch these hands** (Leo Valdez) — _nah not really i cant figure this shit out_

 

 **Clark Can’t** (Jason Grace) — _[sent a picture]_

 

 **YOUR president** (Annabeth Chase) — _yeah me neither I hate this fucking class, im gonna drop o_

 

 **YOUR president** (Annabeth Chase) — _WHAT THE FUCK_

 

 **YOUR president** (Annabeth Chase) — _WHAT THE FUCK_

 

 **I’m trans and ur gonna catch these hands** (Leo Valdez) — _HJBBSDKQLBFDHKQLFH I NEED TO CALL NYSSA_

 

 **I’m trans and ur gonna catch these hands** (Leo Valdez) — _SHE OWES ME TWENTY BUCKS BYE_

 

 **YOUR president** (Annabeth Chase) — _YOU CANT JUST SEND THIS WITH NO EXPLANATION AND THEN LEAVE_

 

 **Heterodon’t** (Nico di Angelo) — _do you guys need anything????? some condoms????? a snack?????_

 

 **YOUR president** (Annabeth Chase) — _JASON GRACE IM GONNA WHOOP YOUR ASS_

 

 **Not a furry** (Frank Zhang) — _I just woke up what’s happening_

 

 **Heterodon’t** (Nico di Angelo) — _remember to use protection!!!!!!!!!!!!_

 

 **Heterodon’t** (Nico di Angelo) — _for all kinds of sexy times!!!!!!!!!!!!_

 

 **No One Knows I’m A Lesbian** (Reyna Arellano) — _nico woke me up for this and i cant even be mad_

 

 **YOUR president** (Annabeth Chase) — _WHERES PIPER_

 

 **YOUR president** (Annabeth Chase) — _WHERES MY GF_

 

 **YOUR president** (Annabeth Chase) — _SHE NEEDS TO BE HERE FOR THIS_

 

 **YOUR president** (Annabeth Chase) — _THIS IS A HISTORICAL MOMENT_

 

 **Mclesbean** (Piper McLean) — _[sent a picture]_

 

 **Heterodon’t** (Nico di Angelo) — _is that a picture of a toilet_

 

 **Mclesbean** (Piper McLean) — _yes_

 

 **Mclesbean** (Piper McLean) — _because percys full of SHIT_

 

 **Heterodon’t** (Nico di Angelo) — _JHSFDKQLSHFDFKQLJHFD_

 

 **I’m trans and ur gonna catch these hands** (Leo Valdez) — _SJDQKLDSBFJSDQKLFH_

 

 **Mclesbean** (Piper McLean) — _‘wbuwuwbwwbwu im not in love with jason hes just my bro!!!! no homo!!!!!’_

 

 **Mclesbean** (Piper McLean) — _look at them_

 

 **Mclesbean** (Piper McLean) — _theyre ALL the homo_

 

 **No One Knows I’m A Lesbian** (Reyna Arellano) — _is that percys TONGUE i see_

 

 **I’m trans and ur gonna catch these hands** (Leo Valdez) — _yall really aren’t wasting time_

 

 **No One Knows I’m A Lesbian** (Reyna Arellano) — _keep it PG for fucks sake_

 

 **Heterodon’t** (Nico di Angelo) — _imagine what its gonna be when they start getting some dick_

 

 **Not a furry** (Frank Zhang) — _nico please_

 

 **Not a furry** (Frank Zhang) — _i really dont wanna hear about either of their dicks_

 

 **Literal Ray of Sunshine** (Hazel Levesque) — _i wanna know who took this picture_

 

 **Literal Ray of Sunshine** (Hazel Levesque) — _i owe them my life_

 

 **Heterodon’t** (Nico di Angelo) — _thenks mather for my life_

 

 **I’m trans and ur gonna catch these hands** (Leo Valdez) — _anyway_

 

 **I’m trans and ur gonna catch these hands** (Leo Valdez) — _congratulations @JasonGrace @PercyJackson_

 

 **Not a furry** (Frank Zhang) — _congrats guys_

 

 **YOUR president** (Annabeth Chase) — _congration_

 

 **Heterodon’t** (Nico di Angelo) — _you done it_

 

 **Mclesbean** (Piper McLean) — _i mean we been knew but ok_

 

 **No One Knows I’m A Lesbian** (Reyna Arellano) — _that is the single most grammatically incorrect sentence i have ever had to read with my own two eyes_

 

 **Mclesbean** (Piper McLean) — _it’s called a meme reyna_

 

 **Mclesbean** (Piper McLean) — _keep up_

 

_[Nico di Angelo changed Jason Grace’s nickname to Getting That Fish Dick]_

 

 **I’m trans and ur gonna catch these hands** (Leo Valdez) — _the shape of water 2_

 

 **I’m trans and ur gonna catch these hands** (Leo Valdez) — _coming soon to a movie theatre near you_

 

_[Frank Zhang has left the group]_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i cant thank you guys enough for all the love and support you've given me through this bullshit and i really hope you weren't disappointed with how the fic ended. if you enjoyed this, please think about checking out my other works and subscribing to my account!! i have tons of jercy stuff and even more ideas to come, so make sure to get the email notifications. my tumblr is @punkpipabeth and i post tons of gay shit there as well. once again THANK YOU so so much, I'm eternally grateful for every single one of you!


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